Thousands of people rely on the main road in Rajouri, which connects more than half a dozen border communities, every day, but it is in ruins on May 20.
The locals have pleaded for an improvement. The section of the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch National Highway between Tandwal Bridge and Sohana is maintained as part of the Pradhan Mantri Gramme Sadak Yojna (PMGSY).
This road links various communities, including Mubarak Pura, Keriyan, Lambi Tandi, Kanakote, Mankote, Ninga Nar, Sadhyal, Moonga Wali Gali, and Ninga Nar, Mankote, and Palullian, as well as seven other communities connected by roads that branch out from it.
According to locals, more than half of the section of road that was blacktopped in 2018–19 is now in ruins. The potholes and overall crumbling condition of the road make it dangerous for any vehicle, but notably those with just two wheels.
“This is the main road that connects over half a dozen villages considered as border villages and a busy road in the area as seven to eight link roads originate from it,” said Bhushan Kumar Sharma, a resident of Mankote village, who argued for the road’s improvement.
Kabir Hussain, another resident, said that the road’s poor state negatively impacts the lives of over 4,000 people every day and called for its urgent blacktopping.
According to the villagers, the Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri intervened and had some of the road’s most deteriorated sections fixed, but the road as a whole is still in poor shape and needs fixing.
An estimate for the road’s upkeep has been generated and submitted to higher authorities, according to the Pradhan Mantri Gramme Sadak Yojna’s Rajouri Division Executive Engineer.
He also said that road maintenance will begin if funding was secured.
