sAnantnag: The Kelam-Ashmuji Bridge here in Kulgam district remains out of bounds for the general public even though its construction is complete after a long wait of ten years. The reason is that the administration has failed to develop an approach road to the bridge, much to the inconvenience of the general public.
Residents of dozens of villages in the area had been waiting for more than a decade for the completion of the bridge, which is vital to connectivity within villages and to the district headquarters as well. The 175-metre motorable bridge was sanctioned in 2009 and construction work was started in 2010.
The Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) took up the work at a cost of around Rs 14.5 crore. The construction, however, dragged on for years because funds for the project came in trickles.
“A couple of years back, the work had stopped for almost six months due to lack of funds, and that was not the only instance,” sources in the JKPCC told Kashmir Reader. They said that the bridge was somehow completed earlier this year but was not yet motorable as an approach road needs to be built, and that has to be done through the district administration.
“The bridge will be motorable only after the approach road is built. I believe the district administration has taken steps towards that,” the sources said, adding that a proposal for the approach road has already been prepared.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kulgam, Showkat Ahmad, acknowledged that the bridge remained unusable due to the missing approach road. “We have made a DPR and it has been sent for sanction to the government. We need around 76 lakh rupees for that and as soon as we receive the money, the work will be started on the approach road,” the DC said.
He said he was hopeful that it will be done soon.
Meanwhile, the locals continue to suffer in absence of the bridge and have to take longer, time-consuming detours. “If the bridge is completed our travel time as well as cost will be curtailed substantially,” a resident of Kelam area told Kashmir Reader.
The residents said that the administration was sleeping over the issue and nothing was being done despite repeated pleas by the general public. “They took around a decade to complete the construction of the bridge. God knows how much time they will take to make an approach road, for there is land acquisition involved in the process,” residents said.

Suhail A Shah