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Sunday, Oct 02, 2005

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National

A road that will end Pir Panjal's isolation

Staff Reporter

Maintaining the Mughal Road, which is at 11,500 ft, is not easy and there are security concerns

— File Photo: Luv Puri

SIGNPOST: A family stands on the historic Mughal Road at Bafliaz. The road is seen as a means to promote economic opportunities in one of the poorest areas of the State.

BAFLIAZ: People living in the remote hamlets of Pir Panjal have for long pinned their hopes on the opening of the centuries-old Mughal road to end their geographical isolation. The troops of Kasim Khan, also known as Amirul Beher (the commander of Ocean), the Afghan Governor of Mughal emperor Akbar had taken this road to conquer the Kashmir valley in 1586.

Work on the road started in May this year with the appointment of two divisional engineers, one stationed at Bafliaz in Poonch district, and another at Shopian in Pulwama district across the Pir Panjal. However, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad formally launched the project here on Saturday.

The 83.9 km road linking Bafliaz to Shopian is expected to be completed in three years at a cost of Rs. 255 crores. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced Rs.160 crores for its construction and during the current financial year, Rs. 50 crores will be spent for the purpose. Once the road is ready, passengers travelling from Poonch/Rajouri to Shopian will travel a distance of 126-156 km against the present 588 km.

The road is being seen as an alternative route to the busy Jammu-Srinagar National Highway 1A and the people here are hopeful that economic opportunities in the form of tourism will improve once the road is opened. Lack of opportunities had forced many from this belt to emigrate to Gulf countries but now some of them would like to invest here. Mohammad Aslam (48), who has returned from Saudi Arabia after 20 years, says: "The Mughal Road would surely bring economic opportunities for the people here. I have bought land in my village which falls on the last edge of the Mughal Road to start a rest house." Land prices have, in fact, risen in Surankote, the last major township on the road. A kanal (5400 sq. ft.) now costs Rs. 1.20 lakhs, which is the prevailing rate of land in prosperous urban centres in the State.

Project officials say the construction and maintenance of the road will not be an easy job. The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway 1A passes through Banihal, which is nearly 5,200 feet above sea level. In contrast, the Mughal Road is located at over 11,500 feet above sea level and passes through a highly unstable area of the Himalayas. At present, only 26 km of the road is operational throughout the year. Under the plan, there would be 14 permanent bridges and eight service bridges with the longest one being 30 m. Forty-nine km of the road is steep and 20 km rolling beside mountain stretches. Traffic can be smooth only for three to four months as there is early snow in this belt, according to an engineer.

There are security concerns as well.

Troops of the 27 Rashtriya Rifles (counter-terrorism formation) are still fighting Lashkar militants led by a local militant identified as Taj Pahalwan. These militants are obviously opposed to the construction of the road as it will facilitate easy movement of the troops. Attempts to neutralise this group, particularly in Poshanna, have not succeeded.

It still takes an hour to cover 11 km from Bafliaz to Chandimarh on passenger transport whereas Poshanna, the highest point on the Pir Panjal, is a virtual trek.

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