PULWAMA — Nearly two decades after construction began, residents of Dogripora and Reshipora villages in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district are still waiting for two bridges over the River Jhelum to become operational, forcing people to rely on wooden boats to cross the river.
The bridges, located in Awantipora, were intended to improve connectivity between villages and provide easier access to roads, educational institutions, healthcare facilities and public transport. However, both projects remain incomplete despite years of construction and repeated assurances, residents told the news agency KNO.
Residents said successive governments had failed to resolve the issue, leaving villagers to cope with the same difficulties year after year.
“We have witnessed governments change, officials get transferred and assurances being made, but our problem remains where it was nearly two decades ago. If both bridges cannot be completed at once, the authorities should at least ensure that one is made functional without further delay,” they said.
The Dogripora bridge was sanctioned in 2006, with construction beginning in 2008. Work on the Reshipora bridge was also taken up around the same period.
Residents attributed the prolonged delays to funding constraints, administrative hurdles and repeated interruptions in construction.
In the absence of permanent crossings, villagers said they were compelled to depend on wooden boats to travel between the two banks of the river. Schoolchildren, elderly residents, patients and daily commuters were among those facing the greatest difficulties.
The risks become more pronounced during rainfall and winter, when rising water levels and strong currents can make crossing the river hazardous.
“We should not have to wait for another tragedy before our concerns are taken seriously. Every day, people cross the river because they have no practical alternative,” a local resident said.
Javid Ahmad, a resident of Dogripora, said the prolonged delay had affected almost every aspect of daily life.
“For us, these bridges are not just concrete structures; they are essential links to the outside world. Their completion would make travelling easier, connect our villages with the national highway and provide better access to Panzgam Railway Station,” he said.
He added that functional bridges would reduce travel time between Tral and Shahoora and help local economic activity by improving the movement of people and goods.
Tariq Ahmad, a resident of Reshipora, said the absence of a direct crossing forced villagers to take a long detour to reach the highway.
“An ordinary journey becomes a major problem when the bridge is missing. During a medical emergency, bad weather or when children have to reach school, every extra kilometre matters,” he said.
The Dogripora bridge project received fresh attention last year when the government sanctioned ₹1,529.47 lakh, equivalent to about ₹15.29 crore, for its completion.
The allocation raised hopes among residents that construction would resume and the long-pending project would finally become operational. However, villagers said they had yet to see the progress they expected.
Basit, another Dogripora resident, said nearly 70 per cent of the bridge structure had been completed before work came to a halt.
“The foundation stone was laid during the PDP-Congress government, and work was taken up through the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation in 2007-08. Since then, the incomplete structure has remained a reminder of a project that people have been waiting to see finished for years,” he said.
Residents have appealed to the government and the concerned departments to disclose the current status of both projects, explain the reasons for the delays and announce a definite completion timeline.
For people in Dogripora and Reshipora, the demand is straightforward: after nearly two decades of waiting, the authorities should move beyond assurances and ensure that at least one of the two bridges is completed and opened to the public at the earliest.
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