Tral residents face hardships without bridge over Watal Ara Nallah

SRINAGAR — Inhabitants of over half-a-dozen villages in south Kashmir’s Tral are facing immense hardships in absence of a bridge over Watal Ara Nallah along Tral-Pinglish road.

A local delegation said that the ‘Watal Ara’ stream in Kanil Mohalla, at a stones’ throw distance from main town Tral, is without a bridge, which according to them has been causing huge inconvenience to the local inhabitants for many years now.

The makeshift bridges’ erected by authorities concerned every now and then get washed away in flash floods, they said.

Remarking that bridge has a strategic importance, the locals said that ‘it connects the area with tourist spot Shikargah from one side and Sub-District Hospital Tral from another side.’

Nonetheless the bridge is also a vital link to connect the roads leading from Kanil Mohalla, Tral-i- Bala, Pinglish, Shikargah, Koil, Laribal and Cheribugh villages, they said.

“We have apprised the authorities on several occasions to construct bridge over the stream. However, it has been over the time witnessed that they (authorities) erect a makeshift bridge to dispense of their formalities, which to our misfortune gets washed away in deluges,” they said.

Reiterating their demand for construction of bridge over the stream, the delegation members said that they appeal DC Pulwama to personally intervene into the matter and direct the authorities concerned to hasten the work to see an early redressal of their genuine grievance.

“We also appeal Roads and Buildings Department to review the status of the bridge and see for itself the sufferings of locals including patients, employees, labourers and school-going children who have to take different routes to reach their intended places,” the delegation members said.