BDC chairman, 22 PRI members resign over admin’s failure to repair link road in J-K’s Banihal

A block development committee (BDC) chairman and other 22 members of the panchayat raj institutions (PRI) resigned from their posts in protest against the alleged failure of the administration to repair a link road in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district.

The Nachilana-Khari-Mundakbass link road, which caters to over 30,000 population of the hilly belt in the Banihal sub-division, is in a very dilapidated condition as the road is being used by railway construction agency IRCON international for the past the two decades without carrying out any repair, they said.

In a joint letter to district magistrate Ramban, one BDC, six sarpanches, five naib sarpanch, and 11 pants said they have resigned from their posts over the failure of the administration and the IRCON to repair and maintain the hilly road link as well as indifferent attitude of authorities to address their demand.

''We are submitting joint resignation before your good self so that we come out of public pressure (due to failure of the administration to repair and maintain road link by the administration and IRCON). Please accept the resignation'', BDC chairman of Khari Sajjad Hussain said in the letter on Monday.

He said the link road is used by railway construction agency IRCON international and its tunnel construction partners for the past 15- 20 years but no repair work was carried out on the dilapidated road connecting over 30,000 population of Khari-Mahoo Mangit tehsil.

''Several representations were given to the district, tehsil, heads of PWD, IRCON, railway administration, besides protest were held in this regard but nothing was done so far,'' Hussain said.

He said a cold response from the IRCON and the administration forced them to submit mass resignation.

"We 21 PRI representatives from Khari block submitted the same to DC Ramban for further action," he added Hussain said all PRIs are under pressure from the public over the poor condition of the Nachilana-Khari-Mundakbass link road.