Kedarghati Visthapan Va Punarvas Sangharsh Samiti head Ajendra Ajay has written to the Governor Aziz Qureshi against the decision of the State Government to transfer some roads in the mountainous areas from the Border Roads Organisation to the Public Works Department.
In the letter to Qureshi, Ajay said that the BRO is more efficient and has more resources than the PWD. So, shifting the responsibility for some roads to the PWD on the grounds that the BRO is not working swiftly is illogical. In the letter to the Governor, Ajay points out that it has come to be known that the State Government is trying to transfer some motor roads in the mountainous regions to the PWD. These motor roads are important not only for the Char Dham Yatra but are also of vital importance from the strategic point of view due to their proximity to the border area.
The State Government’s actions are objectionable, states Ajay while adding that the reason behind the Government move is said to be the purportedly slow functioning of the BRO. “This logic of the State Government is ridiculous and hard to believe that the PWD will execute work faster on the roads on which the BRO is working to resume traffic or repair the damage. It is common public knowledge that compared to the PWD, the BRO has more resources and is better from the view point of work efficiency. The condition of the roads which are under the purview of the PWD is also in plain public view,” he states.
According to Ajay, the PWD has failed to ensure that many of the roads which were damaged during the disaster experienced in the State in June are reopened to traffic even six months after disaster struck. In such circumstances, transferring some motor roads from the under the purview of the BRO to the PWD is questionable and would not prove beneficial if executed.
The local public is also highly dissatisfied with the decision of the State government. The locals are viewing this decision of the government with suspicion, he said. Ajay has requested the Governor to take necessary action in the matter in public interest.