Kulgam: Much to the annoyance of residents, telecom companies have dug up roads here to lay new communication cables as Roads and Building (R&B) Department failed to create permanent underground utility duct to prevent frequent destruction of roads.
“It’s frustrating at times to see well-laid roads being destroyed by using JCBs and labourers. We feel helpless as there is no policy to stop the repeated digging,” said Mohd Ashraf a resident of Zazripora.
He further said that the irony is that companies are not repairing the roads after laying cables resulting
in roads remaining dug up for several months.
Residents allege that the construction agencies leave the roads dug up for several months, putting them to great inconvenience. These roads also become a cause for accidents, they said.
The roads, were already in a bad shape
As roads are already in a dilapidated condition for want of blacktopping and repair and these telecom companies have only added to our woes.
“At other places theses companies use modern technology to lay cables without digging roads. The civic officials here have grossly failed to insist the companies to utilise such technologies to save the road infrastructure,” residents rued.
AEE Kulgam Mohd Ramzaan said that we have given them proper permission.
According to locals the work was stopped earlier after locals of Poniwaha and Zazripora protested about damaging roads.
“But they have started it again, its highly condemnable approach on part of government,” they said.