SRINAGAR: Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Kumar Choudhary today informed the Legislative Assembly that amount of ₹10.00 crore has been requisitioned from the Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (DMRRR) Department for undertaking temporary restoration works in Anantnag, including the damaged bridge at Kandiwara-Khalhar.
Deputy CM was replying to the Calling Attention Motion moved by MLA Dooru, Ghulam Ahmad Mir regarding the damaged bridge at Kandiwara-Khalhar.
Deputy CM informed that due to the recent flash floods, a number of roads, including bridges, culverts, and their approaches, have suffered partial damage and subsequent steps were undertaken taken for their restoration.
He said that the departmental field staff prepared restoration estimates for the damaged approaches of the road infrastructure and submitted the same to the Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag.
It is pertinent to mention here that the villages of Kandiwara and Khalhar are situated on opposite banks of the Brengi Nallah. The village of Kandiwara, having a population of approximately 3,000, is connected through a good-quality blacktopped road—Mohipora-Kandiwara-Soaf Road—which diverges from NH-244. Similarly, the village of Khalhar, with a population of about 2,000, is connected through the Hiller-Khalhar-Sagam Road, also a blacktopped road originating from NH-244.
He informed that the road where the box culvert approaches were damaged serves as an alternate connectivity link between the two villages.
He further submitted that the bridge structure itself remains intact and has not suffered any structural damage.