Hilltop village set to get all-weather road in J&K’s Doda

Bhaderwah, Sep 25: Known for growing red beans, organic vegetables and fruits, Kanser Panchayat in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda will soon have all-weather road connectivity with the construction of 15-km Nagar-lanchan to Kanser road.
Situated at an elevation of 7,780 ft above sea level, Kanser village is primarily inhabited by Gaddi and Sippi tribes.They earn their livelihood by rearing sheep and growing organic vegetables, red beans and high-quality fruits like quins, apricots, walnuts and plump.Over 3,500 tribal residents of the hilltop village, which provide a bird's eye view of Bhaderwah town beside the iconic Ashpati Glacier and Kailash Kund, are beaming with joy since the beginning of the macadamization work.
District Development Council (DDC) Chairman, Doda, Dhananter Singh Kotwal along with vice chairperson Sangeeta Bhagat kick-started the work on the 15 km road stretch passing through steep and dense coniferous forest.
“The road is being constructed at a cost of Rs 9.40 crore and will be completed by October 10 subject to weather conditions,” Assistant Executive Engineer, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Bhaderwah, Atta Mohd Sheikh said.Bhagat said the area is famous for its agricultural produce especially ‘Rajmash' and due to the non-availability of connectivity, the people were facing hardships while reaching out to markets.
“Now their dream is going to come true,” she said.
Locals expressed their gratitude to the government and PMGSY authorities for taking care of their grievances regarding road connectivity.
“We were living in miserable conditions due to the absence of road connectivity which is very necessary for the development of any area,” Sudhir Kumar, a local resident, said.
“Nature has gifted us with famous Rajmash and other products but we were unable to get benefits as it was very difficult for us to reach the market by foot to sell our produce, ” he added.The villagers hoped that the road connectivity will help them get good rates for their produce and also ensure admission of their children to reputed schools.