Kupwara, Feb 25 (KNO): Amid the unbeaten sufferings in the absence of the Sadhna tunnel, the residents of the Karnah sector in North Kashmir's Kupwara district have demanded snow shed/tunnel at the avalanche-prone areas to avoid further loss of lives in road accidents during winter.
The people of the Karnah sector famously known as Tangdhar have been demanding Sadhna tunnel for a couple of years now after a huge number of deadly accidents left many dead in the avalanches mostly during winters.
Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the border residents said that instead of taking unwanted time for the construction of the Sadhna tunnel, the central government must install a snow tunnel/ shed at the vital places prone to avalanches to eliminate the chances of untoward incidents and fatal accidents.
The residents said that the alternative snow tunnel/ shed will ensure there is no fatal untoward incident and traffic movement is unaffected during the heaps of snow at avalanche-prone areas.
"Government must install snow tunnel at vital places prone for avalanches and finish the work well in time so that people are not made to suffer and live an eased life without getting isolated from the rest of the world," they said.
They said that no doubt the Border Road Organisation (BRO) maintains the road and has macadamized the road in the Baghbella belt (Downwards to Sadhna top) that has eased sufferings and regular deployment of road workers have made the travel much easier who clear the stretch without any stop.
The aggrieved residents stated that during the harsh winters people who don't move out of the Karnah sector are the worst sufferers.
A senior official while talking to KNO said that the snow tunnel/shed is a much better option and it won't take much time and funds to complete making the route less vulnerable to accidents.
About the inconvenience faced by people at Sadhna top checking, the officer said that in 2020 last year 50 Kg narcotics and 14 weapons were recovered from locals.
"The recovered narcotics and weapons were illegally transported from Pakistan using locals as a courier guy that led to the arrest of women, men including government employees and minors," he said
"Everything is happening under a planned strategy by pushing more narcotics and weapons into this side and very soon this particular area will become the hub of drug addiction with youth showing early symptoms," the officer maintained.
He said that the strengthened checking is to ensure there is the complete plug over the illegal trade of narcotics and weapons into the valley used for anti-national activities and a strategic step was taken by deploying women soldiers to frisk travelling women.
About the ease for border residents particularly for the people living in ceasefire violation-prone areas, the senior officer said that the government has proposed the construction of underground bunkers for Rs 20 crore in vulnerable sectors in the Kupwara district.
In the recent review meeting of the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Karnah stated that 300 individual bunkers will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 5 lakh each and directed the concerned to start the construction at the earliest.
Notably, as reported earlier by KNO the Sadhna Coordination Committee claims that around 150 people have died so far over the Chowkibal- Tangdhar road mainly at Sadhna pass known as Sadhna top in different accidents and snow avalanches—(KNO)