Herpora, a sub village of Authwatoo area in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, has craved road connectivity for decades, residents complained here on Thursday.
“Even though it’s the 21st century, there are no roads to our village. It’s strange that we have to go through thick forests on foot or horseback just to get there. No one has come to the village for 60 years, and we don’t have basic facilities here,” the locals told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
“We’ve been waiting for decades for a road to be built from Authwatoo to our village, but it seems like nobody is paying attention to our pleas,” said Mohammad Jabar, a senior resident.
“In the past, our numerous attempts at representation fell on deaf ears, and we were informed that obtaining permission from the forest department was necessary for road construction. The area earmarked for the road’s construction happens to be forest land,” explained Ishfaq Ahmad, another resident of the area.
He pointed out the unfortunate aspect that a new water supply scheme was recently sanctioned for the Authwatoo. “Once work commenced on the project, the administration promptly sprang into action and constructed a road to facilitate the transportation of materials,” he said, adding that previously, we were required to navigate through a lengthy process, but now, for the convenience of the administration, a road has been swiftly constructed in a short span of time.
“While the construction of this road brings us significant relief, we urge the administration to extend it by another half kilometer toward our village. Furthermore, it should be handed over to the PMHSY for our greater convenience,” they said—(KNO)