Building Roads

We are in the middle of summer and the roads across Kashmir are being redeveloped, repaired and macdamzied. While the UT administration is repairing all the roads during the summer months, however, as the winter spell sets in these roads yet again witness massive damage. Potholes by the end of winter are a common experience for any driver in Kashmir. Macdamziation is being washed away. Drains are almost filled with litter. And altogether the people in Kashmir face a new driving and commuting experience. Millions of rupees are being spent on these roads which don’t have even a life span of one year with macdamization. Most of the time, rain and snowfall is later blamed for their deteriorating conditions. But snowfall and rains are not exceptions to Kashmir. Most of the countries in the world have snowfall and excessive rains. Their roads stand against the weather vagaries and have no repeated investments barring minor repairs. In Kashmir instead every road is being maintained and developed every year forcing the state to cough up huge exchequer. Few times in the past, the authorities were mulling to employ the technology of European standards for minimizing snow and weather impact on roads. However, there was no head away later.  The matter seemed shelved again. But given the various studies more than weather vagaries, Kashmir roads suffer due to poor maintenance and use of sub standard material. All the roads require an independent audit followed by the fix of responsibility. As long as the responsibility is not fixed and the responsible people are not taken to the task legally, the road network in Kashmir will continue to siphon the massive exchequer without having any outcome. Kashmir having little resources may not be in a position to waste the money. It needs to find a permanent solution to the problem and stop corruption besides encouraging new technology in the development process.