Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday said that it has framed Rs 63.53 crore project for road widening and development of alternate routes to decongest Sopore town in a bid to address traffic woes particularly around Asia’s largest fruit mandi in the area.
In response to a question by MAL Irshad Rasool Kar, the government said that there is currently no proposal under consideration with BEACON or BRO with regard to the widening of the bypass road from Amargarh to Model Town.
While acknowledging that the fruit season witnesses a surge in vehicular movement in areas surrounding the Fruit Mandi, resulting in heavy traffic jams, particularly from Mazbugh bridge to bypass near toll post, the government said that to address the situation, it has framed a DPR for road widening covering a 2.50 km stretch with an estimated cost of Rs 46.01 crore.
Additionally, a DPR for the development and strengthening of an alternative road from Mazbugh to Ashpeer has also been framed at Rs 17.52 crore. The government, however, stated that the execution of these projects is subject to the availability of funds.
It said that two major roads adjacent to the Fruit Mandi have been upgraded under the PMGSY scheme, which significantly helps in managing traffic flow.
The upgraded roads include 18 km double-lane road connecting Fruit Mandi to Warpora on Sopore-Bandipora highway and a 6.4 km double-lane road starting from Fruit Mandi to Jalalabad.
“These roads play a critical role in decongesting traffic, especially during the peak fruit season, and serve as main approach routes for vehicles coming from Zainageer, Rafiabad, Handwara, Kupwara, and Bandipora”, it said.
On status of three major bridges, Sopore-Mazbugh, Maharajpora, and Trussed Grid Bridge at Seer-Jagir, the government admitted to significant delays in their completion.
The Mazbugh and Maharajpora bridges, initially undertaken by JKPCC, were transferred to the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department. The government said that despite repeated tendering, no response was received for the Mazbugh Bridge, leading to the project being stalled.
Additionally, tenders for the Maharajpora bridge were received, but the quoted rates were higher than the estimated DPR cost, further delaying the project, it said.
The government said that as for the Seer-Jagir bridge, work is in progress, but technical issues have surfaced during the execution stage. “The design, inspection, and quality control (DIQC) wing of PWD is currently evaluating the technical challenges, and the project is expected to be completed once the issues are addressed,” it said—(KNO)
