With the construction of new roads in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) of the central government, people of the district are relieved that they will now be able to easily access school, hospitals and workplaces.
When complete, the new 6.35 kilometers long T Zero Road to Bindi, built at a cost of Rs 5.13 crore, will connect eight far-flung parts of the district.
"This road will be completed in record time. We started blacktopping the road about a week ago and are hopeful that it will complete by this Monday. It will be 6.35 kilometers long, at a cost of about Rs 5.13 crore. It will remain under the defect liability period for five years," Sajaad Ahmad Khan, Junior Engineer of the PMGSY told .
Locals say that the road will bring relief in their day-to-day activities as it used to be in a very poor condition and caused many mishaps.
"This road was in a really bad condition and government officials never gave it any attention. There used to be massive traffic jams and accidents used to take place often. At one time an old man died as he was unable to reach a hospital on time due to the condition of the road," said Sheraz Ahmed, a resident of the area.
Tazeem Akhter, Chairperson of the Dhangri Block of the district expressed gratitude to the central government as he believes that this will be a road to prosperity for the district.
"Many people want to come from far off areas more often but have a very tough time traveling because of the road. I am hopeful that this road will improve connectivity and locals will also have better access to the nearby masjid," Akhter told .
"We are hopeful that this will also bring more tourists. Roads, one of the most basic requirements for development, has been taken care of. Now we can focus on other areas of development," he added.
"I do not have the words to express thanks to the new Jammu and Kashmir administration. The government is doing so many things for us. Even the Back to Village initiative has been very helpful for us. People could not even take their cars out properly before but now they will be able to. Children walk on this road to get to school. This road will be much safer for them also" said Maqbool Hussain, another local.
( With inputs from ANI )
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