Traffic Restored On Shalimar Road After Two Months
Boatmen racing against the gusty winds to get across Dal Lake amid heavy rainfall in Srinagar on Monday. KO Photo, Abid Bhat
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Majid Nabi
Srinagar: Authorities reopened a portion of the road that had been closed to the traffic to facilitate the construction of a culvert adjacent to the shrine of Syed Meerakh Shah Kashani (R.A.) at Shalimar area in Srinagar after two months.
The move comes four days following publication of a report by Kashmir Observer detailing the inconveniences that motorists and pilgrims experienced as a result of the executing agency’s inordinate delay in completing the project.
The work on the ten-meter-long culvert near the shrine, according to the residents living in the vicinity, began in December of last year, causing immense hardships to motorists and pilgrims alike.
Given the difficulties people might have encountered, the road was reopened for traffic around
department had set a February 25 deadline for the contractor to complete the project, the road was, however, reopened for traffic around ten days prior to its scheduled completion date,”
ten days ahead of the project's scheduled completion date, a senior official of the Roads and Bridges Department told Kashmir Observer.
“Although the department had set a February 25 deadline for the contractor to complete the project, the road was, however, reopened for traffic around ten days prior to its scheduled completion date,” he added.
He also said the macadamization of the affected portion near the culvert will be done in May because the current weather does not allow for it to happen sooner.
Meanwhile the residents of Shalimar and its surrounding areas, expressed gratitude to the administration for reopening the road for traffic again, saying the pilgrims were unable to visit the shrine and that motorists were using alternative routes to get to Lal Chowk and other locations.
They also asserted that the closure of the road for around two months negatively impacted local business as well.
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