Society Pulwama has stressed upon the government and the district administration to relook into the project of National Highway 444 being proposed from Srinagar to Qazigund through the southern district. The civil society said that the proposed construction of the highway passes through residential areas of Malikpora and Chatpora, valuable orchard land and will require demolition of residential houses in the town.
It said the highway will deprive the residents of their property, homes to live and snatch farming land from the inhabitants of the town. Chairmen of civil society Ghulam Nabi Malik said that if the project was not relooked it would leave a significant number of population without houses.
Malik said that the civil society has informed the district administration about the disastrous impact of the highway and has highlighted their concerns and opposition to them. He said that the government should plan to merge the proposed highway with the Circular Road in that passes outside the Pulwama town instead of snatching people their property and habitats.
“The construction of NH 444 and Circular road should be linked together as it will save land and property of the people. Why does the government want to build a new highway when a Circular Road is already in operation and connects Pulwama with Shopian district,” he asked. The highway project involves road length of 127 kilometers and will connect Srinagar-Pulwama –Shopian-Qazigund districts and Mughal Road. In Pulwama it will run through 22 villages from Batpora-Wanpora to Nikas and around 689 kanals of land has to be acquired for the project.
The road passes through a number of Urban, Semi urban and rural areas with variable configuration from single lane, intermediate and double lane in urban sections. In September last year, District Development Commissioner Pulwama, Ghulam Mohammad Dar while inspecting the status of the proposed highway had directed the executing agencies to bring minimum residential houses under its alignment, religious structures and graveyards should be excluded.