Karnah: The people of Karnah valley in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Tuesday observed a protest shutdown to press for their long pending demand of construction of a tunnel at Sadhna Pass on Kupwara-Tangdhar highway.
The people have been demanding the tunnel more vigorously since January 5 this year when 11 persons died in a snow avalanche near the Sadhna top which connects Karnah with the rest of the Valley.
All colleges, schools, shops and other business establishments remained closed in the area.
“We were told by authorities that the construction of the tunnel will be started soon but it seems they haven’t done the homework yet,” Wali Ahmad Qureshi, president Sadhna Tunnel Coordination Committee, told GNS.
“We have closed all the business establishments, schools, colleges to mark our protest, but authorities have still turned deaf ear to our grievances,” he added.
The construction of the 6.5-kilometre Sadhna Pass tunnel would connect Karnah – a far-flung area near the Line of Control (LoC) – with the rest of the state during winter.
In absence of the tunnel, thousands of residents of Karnah remain cut off from the rest of Jammu and Kashmir during rains and snowfall.
The road from Kupwara to Karnah traverses through Sadhna Pass which is prone to avalanches, landslides, shooting stones and mud washes.
People of this area face immense hardships during winters due to road closure that causes a shortage of essential commodities and medicines. (GNS)
