J-K: PMGSY brings smile to people in Rajouri's Kalakote with connectivity, employment

The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) has brought a smile to people living in the remotest hilly areas in the Kalakote subdivision in Rajouri with road connectivity and employment opportunity.

The 15 km PMGSY road stretches from Mathiani to Odhan connecting over 12 villages in this region.

"People are getting employment. There was no connectivity. Patients used to die before reaching the hospital. Now, vehicles are coming to the doorstep. Due to lockdown and COVID pandemic, people cannot go for work to other places. Not just the locals, but people from Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh also came here for work," Parvinder Singh, a local working as a labourer in the project told ANI. Another labourer Yaspal Singh said, "This area has been very backward. People had no option other than walking. Even pregnant women had to go somewhere by walking as there was no road. Earlier it took more than a day to reach Rajouri."

Kuldip Raj, a local said earlier it used to take around 10 hours to walk to the main road. With the construction of this road, locals do not have to go to other places for work.

Vinod Bajal, Sarpanch told ANI, "After 70 years, we get this kind of facility. This is a backward area. We thank the government and the PMGSY department for the development work."

The PMGSY, was launched by the Government of India to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations as part of a poverty reduction strategy.

( With inputs from ANI )