Jammu, September 03: There seems no end to the woes of Jammuites despite the fact that the new and so called Jammuites own government is in place for more than six months now but the miseries of the Jammuites are only increasing by the day with no one divulging any roadmap, if at all they have, to bring them out of the mess.
The newspapers have been repeatedly displaying the day to day problems of the Jammuites through their columns but the powers that be do not seem bothered at all and the height of things is that nobody is willing to even issue a statement to apply the balm of words helping them to wait for more.
Long back we had heard that government has very innovative plans of blacktopping the 800 kms of the roads in the state to ensure that roads are maintained and tenders are given only to those who can guarantee the upkeep of the roads after completion.
However the announcement has remained a ‘political jhumla’ till date and people are wondering if at all there is any government in place in the state.
The miseries that Jammuites are facing are not limited to this region or city alone but the whole state with reports coming in from various parts of the state that no developmental works that directly affect the day to day life of the people has been taken up.
The balloon of foolproof tendering with accountability has already burst as the blacktopping in various lanes that was initiated last month have already washed out by the routine rain as the blacktopping has been done in the manner as if the scene from the Bollywood movie “Khata Meetha’ is lifted and pasted in our streets.
The contractors have used only sand and ‘bajri’ with insignificant sprinkling of coal tar to give a look of black toping and our newly elected MLAs obliging the shutter bugs for a photogrpah to showcase their so called developmental works.
But the fact is that this blacktopping sans coal tar gets scattered with the first vehicle moving over them and the scene shifts back to same potholed Mohallas.
A case in point is the Jawahar Nagar lane in Talab Tillo where the sand and Bajri got scattered within a few hours while the contractor must have withdrawn the payment and distributed the spoils among the obvious beneficiary.
The question now is where has that accountability gone and why the current dispensation is failing in even restoring the city roads to provide smooth roads to the citizens.
The potholed city has reached to alarming proportions with the pot holes deepening by the day turning them into death traps for the vehicle owners and a permanent headache for the tax payers who incidentally pay a hefty road tax too.
The roads at Jewel Chowk, Bikram Chowlk, Talab Tillo, Janipur and other places gives a look of a war torn city which has been hit by carpet bombing and hardly looks like the roads of the city that is vying for Modi’s smart city project and AIIMs.
The politicians’ with newly acquired powers do not seem to care much for the citizens and seem busy in getting themselves photographed in their white dresses announcing repair of lanes and drains while nothing is visible on the ground.
It is regrettable how politicians shun their own voters within no time perhaps thinking by next elections they may fool them again but if the situation does not improve fast the anti-incumbency for this dispensation has already set in. Let’s see what is in store for Jammuites or the political parties now.