Key Points

Block Development Officer (BDO) of Doongi Block, Dutta Ram, on Saturday said that villagers have raised demands for a husbandry centre and improved road connectivity during the ongoing outreach programme.

Speaking to ANI, BDO Ram said the programme, which began on September 15, aims to listen to people's grievances and prepare development plans accordingly.

"Everyone is going to the villages and listening to the problems of the people, and according to that, we are preparing the plan. People have demanded a husbandry centre. They have also demanded good roads. The program was started on 15 September and will end on 30 September," he said.

On September 16, the restoration work of the Kotranka-Khawas road in Rajouri began after it suffered severe damage due to heavy rains and landslides, officials said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Kornataka Dilmir Choudhary informed that the administration has organised medical camps at different places, stating that a new road will be constructed in place of the Kotranka-Khawas road, for which short-term tender notices have been released.

"Damage is there and restoration work is underway...Our doctors are organising camps at different places...Because the Kotranka-Khawas road is severely damaged, we will have to construct a new road. We have released a short-term tender notice, and the allotment process is underway. We have started the construction work...The government has also sanctioned some funds for this," Dilmir Choudhary told ANI.

The recently constructed Kotranka-Khawas road, spanning 32 kilometres in Rajouri district, suffered severe damage due to persistent heavy rainfall and landslides in the region for the past two weeks. The road, completed in the 2023-24 period, serves as a vital connection between the Kotranka sub-division and the Khawas tehsil.

However, for the past 15 days, the route has remained completely disconnected, creating widespread distress among residents. The disruption has had a significant impact on daily life. Students are unable to attend school, and transporting the sick to medical facilities has become extremely challenging, according to locals. Many villagers are being forced to walk 15 to 20 kilometres on foot to access essential services.

However, road reconstruction efforts have been paused due to ongoing land subsidence, which continues to pose a significant challenge.

"For the past 15 days, the road has been closed here. The road has been damaged due to floods. There are other links which are connected to this road. Because of this, the elderly and the school children are facing a lot of difficulties. No one from the administration has come to repair the road. We request that the road be restored," Jatinder Sharma, living in Badhal village in Rajouri district, told ANI on Tuesday.

In certain sections, land subsidence (sinking) has exacerbated the crisis, placing large areas at risk. At least seven houses have been severely impacted, with one two-story house shifting approximately 50 metres from its original site while still remaining upright. Such incidents have caused widespread panic among residents.

- ANI