Signifying messy state of affairs, the decades old project of Khanyar-Zadibal-Pandach (KZP) road widening project in limbo for past over 40 years with authorities failing to remove bottlenecks along the stretch thus hampering public movement.
Conceived by then Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah in 1970s’, the road widening of KZP is still a distant dream with cost of the project escalating by over 1000 percent in last nearly four decades.
As per Roads and Buildings officials, the road has been widened in “bits and pieces” leaving major portion of the road stretch for road widening as the government is unable to bear the cost of land acquisition from the State Plan.
“We have been asking the government to pay us compensation as per the prevalent rates, but ironically authorities are paying us peanuts,” said Ajaz Ahmad a local resident. He said that non-seriousness of the government has hampered the road widening for over decades now.
The estimated cost of the project in 1976 was pegged at Rs 58 crore which was later scaled up by Rs 100 crore. However 39 years down the line, the cost of the project as per the Roads and Building department officials has skyrocketed to the tune of Rs 1000 crore. Now, the State government is finding it difficult to manage the funds out of the State Plan.
The KZP is a 12.5 Km road stretch which passes through the heart of the old city. The project is part of 39-year-old Circular Road project. The project began in 1976 and is aimed at constructing a four-lane ring road around the summer capital.
“Development of road is not a big issue, but removing structures and business establishments for which the department has to compensate owners is main hurdle. This factor has derailed this project for over four decades now,” said a senior R&B official.
He said that there around 300 structures and 500 shops which are to be dismantled for paving way for widening of this road stretch. “For that the estimated cost is around Rs 1000 crore which has to be paid to the land owners. The skyrocketing prices of real estates in Srinagar have compounded the land acquisition, particularly in the old Srinagar” he said. The important road link, which could drastically reduce traffic congestion in Downtown has become casualty of “ill planning and callous approach” of various regimes.
The KZP road which passes through the historic Jamia Masjid, reaches SKIMS Soura and ends at Pandach on city outskirts. It is one of the mega road projects in the summer capital apart from Syed Meerak Shah Road (SMS)—a 10.30 km stretch from Dalgate to Zakura via Rainawari and Hazratbal).