Uttarakhand: Villagers Have To Walk 30 Kms As Motorway Is Under Construction Since 3 Years

The construction of the bridge connecting Panchgai strip’s, Uttarkashi district, seven villages to roads has been on standstill for the past 3 years. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the 54-metre bridge was sent by the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) to the Uttarkashi district authority; however, clearance for construction is still pending. Villagers are forced to walk a distance of 15-16 km (one way) on a daily basis.

The seven villages have a combined population of 4000 and the hardships faced by the villagers make them feel grossly neglected by the district authority.
The district headquarters is situated at a distance of 165 kms from Mori Tehsil. Thirty-five kilometres further is the village Jakhol, which is located near Panchgai strip. Out of these seven villages, Livadhi is the farthest – 16 km from Jakhol.

The Jakholi-Fitari motorway was given a green light in 2011 to link the villages to roads. Since 2012, a 9-km road has been constructed from Jakhol. However, 2 kms from the village is the river Supin, and a vehicular bridge (motorway) has not been constructed over the river due to which travelling to the other side is only possible on foot. PMGSY government officials say that the DPR of the bridge sent three years ago still hasn’t been approved by the district authority.

Balbir Singh, a villager from Fitari – 12 kms from Jakhol, said that the halted construction of the bridge has affected the livelihood of his village.
Subhash Kumar, Assistant Engineer PMGSY said that work on the Jakholi-Fitari motorway is executed with endless difficulties and DPR approval is required at the earliest.

The Logical Indian contacted Mr. Ashish Srivastava, Uttarkashi District Magistrate, for comment on the halted construction of the bridge. However, the DM said that he cannot offer any comments on the issue right now as he is busy with the Uttarakhand assembly elections.