MUZAFFARABAD, March 21: The AJK government has earmarked Rs23.757 million for the repair of the road connecting the two parts of Kashmir, according to an official.
Works and Communications Secretary Dr Salahuddin told Dawn that Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan had sanctioned the scheme included in the Annual Development Programme for the improvement of the 3.5km Opi Road from the Chakothi bazaar to a dried water channel on the Line of Control.
The road was kept closed for being vulnerable to Indian shelling. Years of shelling caused dilapidation of the road and bunkers constructed on either side narrowed its span.
It was opened after the ceasefire in November 2003 with some makeshift arrangements for the movement of small vehicles. Dr Salahuddin said it needed proper repair and maintenance for use by the buses which Islamabad and New Delhi planned to run between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad.
The ramshackle bridge on the dried nullah would have to be replaced with a new one to ensure the flow of traffic, he said. "The funds have been allocated so that we do not waste time in formalities when a decision is taken in this regard," he said.
He said the implementation of the scheme would begin after its approval from Islamabad. He said the AJK government could construct the bridge from its resources "although as a matter of principle it is the liability of the held Kashmir government."
He said work on the improvement of the 58km Muzaffarabad-Chakothi road was under way and National Highway Authority officials had surveyed it. Technical-level talks on the proposed bus service are scheduled for March 29-30. However, an Indian newspaper quoting officials has claimed that the talks are likely to be delayed for a week.
Occupied Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed also presided over a meeting last month about the repair and maintenance of the road on his side of the Line of Control.
AJK government has constituted a three-member ministerial committee to ascertain views of the Kashmiri political leaders on the proposed service. The leaders have welcomed the proposal in their statements but said the service would not be acceptable to them if it was launched with the condition of passport and visa.
