Potholes: A nightmare for motorists in Pulwama

PULWAMA — The main roads in Pulwama town are dotted with potholes, causing inconvenience to the motorists and pedestrians alike.

While speaking about the poor condition of roads, local people said that the roads have not been repaired since last many years.

“The road near Jamia Masjid Malikpora, Jamia Masjid Chatapora is particularly in need of immediate repairs,” a local shopkeeper, Mushtaq Ahmad, said.

He added, “It is not just these two spots which I pointed out but almost all the roads in the main town Pulwama are a cause of concern due to potholes. The roads leading towards Prichoo, District Hospital Pulwama and other areas are in a terrible condition.”

People complained that the roads are bad for motorists and pedestrians alike as the latter have to make way for the former due to big potholes which shrink the motorable road.

The bad condition of the main road also adds to the traffic jam whenever there is a spike in the number of vehicles plying on the road.

However, a local resident named Shahbaz said that the local authorities did carry out a “temporary” repair work but it lasted some days only.

“Straight from Bandzoo village to Degree College Pulwama and beyond, the condition of roads is very bad due to potholes. These can cause fatal accidents. Two-wheeler riders are most prone to such fatality,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention that these potholes on important roads are a potential cause of two-wheeler accidents, injuries and even deaths. Added to this, the rainy season creates a number of craters in these poor quality roads.

Meanwhile, locals appealed the administration to immediately repair the roads so that they are freed from the daily inconvenience. “Besides, the repair work is needed for ensuring smooth flow of traffic to avoid congestion during peak times,” Ali Mohammad, a senior citizen, said.

When contacted, Parvaiz Qadri (Superintending Engineer, R&B Pulwama) said that the maintenance of this road stretch includes under NH444.

However, the concerned official, Er. Sheikh Javaid (EE; R&B), said, “The work on these roads is underway. The roads are being macadamized straight from Tukroo village (12 kilometers from Pulwama). Soon, we’ll macadamize the roads in the main town, all the way to Newa area.”

“We will be completing the work on these roads in about next two months,” he replied, when asked to give a time frame.

The official said that they are originally tasked with the work on the bypass road (4.5 kilometers) from Gudoora to District Jail Pulwama. “As the project will take time, we relieved the authorities from the maintenance of the already existing roads in the area,” he revealed.