GANDERBAL: Scores of people from various villages of Ganderbal district stages protest against the National Highway Authority (NHAI) of India for plan to construct ring road and forcing them to provide land for this project.
People from Manigam and adjoining Benhama and Watlar denying the measurements of their agricultural land proposed for ring road project. The protesters said that the land is for their agriculture purpose, demanding to shut the project.
While today scores of people sit in Benhama, alleged that the government is deliberately trying to pass the proposed Ring Road slated to connect Narbal village with Manigam through their agricultural land also damaging residential houses and graveyards, Masques as well, they said.
They said that authorities play our future generation, previously the bypass road constructed in the year 2006 connecting Sumbal and Manigam areas damaged our agricultural land and is wide enough to make a multi-lane road.
“This highway is 80 feet wide and also for only 30 to 40 feet have been utilized yet, and is more vacant now, the bypass is wide enough to cater to the traffic rush but the authorities seem to be unaware about bypass while starting another project of ring road which can damage our ancestral land”, the protester said.
According to locals the project affected several areas which includes, Shalbugh, Wakoora, Kurhama, Baroosa, Yandhama, Repora, Lar, Watlar, Benhama and Manigam.
“If the already existing bypass roads are maintained and macadamized then there is no need of this ring road, we have highly qualified unemployment youth and they have some hops with their agricultural land and cannot fulfill their dreams without this land and we demand to shut the project, ” protestors said.
The protestors said we would stage more protests until our demands were met, and appealing authorities to utilize the existing bypass to the full capacity before constructing new project of Ring road.
