Baramulla Dec 08 /// Yasir Naik, Youth Leader JKPDP Baramulla, has expressed strong concern over the decades of delay in completing the Jetty Khawajabagh Bridge, calling it one of the most striking examples of administrative neglect in North Kashmir. He said the project has consumed crores of rupees over the years but remains stuck at an early stage even after twenty-five years.
Yasir Naik highlighted that the bridge was originally estimated at around ₹15.65 crore and later revised to ₹21.37 crore due to delays and cost escalations. By 2020, officials reported releasing ₹6.18 crore to the executing agency, followed by a fresh sanction of ₹21 crore under JKIDFC to finish the work. Despite these allocations, the structure on the ground shows almost no real progress, with only a single pillar visible as per recent reports.
He said the incomplete bridge has kept thousands of people from receiving the benefits it was meant to provide. The project was designed as a 262-metre double-lane bridge with five spans to connect Khawajabagh and Janbazpora with Rafiabad, and to ease movement towards Kupwara and Handwara. Residents say the bridge would shorten travel by nearly 15 kilometres on several routes and would ease daily congestion inside Baramulla town by providing an alternate crossing over the Jhelum.
Yasir Naik said it is shocking that such an important project, meant to improve connectivity for entire localities across the river, has remained pending for over two decades. He remarked that the delay has reached a point where “The Jetty Bridge deserves a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for being kept pending for twenty-five years despite repeated fund releases.”
He urged the administration to publish a complete payment release record, a progress report, and a revised timeline for completion. Naik called for accountability from the agencies involved and said the people of Baramulla are demanding transparency, not excuses.
He added that the public is no longer willing to accept new deadlines without seeing work on the ground. The bridge was meant to serve thousands of families, reduce travel time and support local trade, yet it stands today as a reminder of how long term public inconvenience has been ignored.
Yasir Naik appealed to the Lieutenant Governor’s administration and the concerned departments to take immediate steps to restart and complete the Jetty Khawajabagh Bridge without any further delay.
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