Repair work on  Poonch-Surankote road starts 
Tribune News Service

Poonch, August 20
Following Governor N.N. Vohra’s intervention, the Border Road Organisation (BRO) has finally started work on the Poonch-Surankote road after five years. Presently the road lies in a dilapidated condition.
Sources said the BRO had started repair work on the 28-km-long stretch up to Surankote on the Jammu-Poonch national highway from the Poonch side.
Sources said the construction of drains along the road had also been taken up to prevent waterlogging on the road during rainy season.
“The BRO authorities are undertaking repairs of road from the Poonch side which includes filling up of potholes and blacktopping of the road. Drains are also being constructed on the roadsides. The idea is to check waterlogging so that there is least damage to the road”, Nazeer Hussain, a labour manager near Shindra, said.
Meanwhile, residents of the area have expressed their happiness that the repair work had finally started on the road. Residents thanked Governor N.N. Vohra and the state government for expediting the repair of this road.
“The condition of the road is worse. There are huge potholes and since there are no drains along its sides, the water gets accumulated along it. As a result, to pass the 28 km road, it takes an hour for us to travel”, Muhammad Sharief Khan, a resident, said. Muhammad, who keeps on shuttling between Poonch and Surankote for his business work, says crossing the road is an arduous journey.
Deputy commissioner, Poonch, Muhammad Afzal said: “Acting on the instructions of the Governor, the district administration had asked the BRO to start the repair work.”
“We are hoping that the BRO will complete the repair work within a month’s time. They will also construct a proper drainage system so that the water doesn't accumulate on the road”, the DC said.