Srinagar, Mar 05 (KNO): The construction of two crucial bridges over the Jhelum River in Awantipora in south Kashmir's Pulwama district has remained incomplete since 2008 due to a lack of funds, the government said on Wednesday.
Replying to a question from MLA Pulwama Waheed Ur Rehman regarding the status of the Dogripora and Reshipora bridges, Minister for R&B Surinder Choudhary, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said both projects are only partially completed due to financial constraints.
"The Reshipora and Dogripora bridges over River Jhelum, which connect Pulwama, have faced delays in execution," Choudhary said.
The minister elaborated that the construction of the 129-metre span bridge at Dogripora and the 109-metre span bridge at Reshipora was initiated in March 2008 by the Jammu & Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC). He said the projects were originally scheduled for completion within three working seasons, contingent upon the availability of funds.
"However, due to fund shortages, both projects remained incomplete. For the Dogripora bridge, only the sub-structure was completed by JKPCC, whereas for the Reshipora bridge, the sub-structure was only partially completed," he added.
Responding to another query, Choudhary clarified that the projects have not been abandoned but are temporarily halted since December 2023, following the transfer of these works from JKPCC to the R&B department, pending revised administrative approvals.
"The work on Dogripora and Reshipora bridges has not been abandoned but temporarily halted for want of revised administrative approval," he said.
The minister informed that revised Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) have been prepared for the remaining work, with an estimated cost of Rs 1529.47 lakh for the Dogripora bridge and Rs 1383.01 lakh for the Reshipora bridge. These DPRs are currently under process for administrative approval.
"The work on both these bridges will be tendered once the revised administrative approvals are granted," Choudhary said—(KNO)