Pothole-free J&K: Govt to blacktop 6000 km road length this year

Srinagar:  Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to macadamize 6000-kilometre road length this year.

 An official said that under schemes PMGSY, CRIF, and NABARD, the blacktopping is all set to begin. 

“Our target is to blacktop 6000-kilometre road length in cities and towns of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a part of the central government’s mission to have pothole-free roads in the urban Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

 Apart from blacktopping, the official said the administration has also focussed on the maintenance of the existing roads in the union territory

 “The recently blacktopped roads will be examined to check whether there has been any wear and tear due to the adverse climate during winters. Under Road Maintenance Policy 2021, maintenance of existing Road Infrastructure to get focused attention during the current year,” he said.

The blacktopping work in Kashmir begins in April and continues till October. Last year against the set target of 1454.02 kilometres, the department macadamized 1657.58 kilometres in the valley by the end of October.

 Official documents available with The Kashmir Monitor reveal that 543 new road projects at an estimated cost of Rs 2237 crore will be taken up for execution under NABARD this year.

“Upgradation of 1750 Kilometres of road length is also likely to be taken up after receiving the sanction of PMGSY-III in 2022-23, ” it said.

Officials also informed that the department is also building 50 bridges under Central and UT Sector schemes during the current year.

 To check the quality of the works, the administration has decided to conduct a third-party audit. All ongoing works will be brought under the purview of third-party inspection from 2022-23.

 As per officials  Directorate of Designed, Quality Control, and Inspection has been appointed as the nodal agency for implementing quality control mechanism.

The nodal agency has been asked to empanel consultants or quality monitors in different fields including roads, buildings, and bridges.

 The consultants will be deputed at the district level. They will be equipped with modern testing equipment.