Rajouri, Oct 31: A major controversy has allegedly erupted in Kamila Kot area of Nowshera, district Rajouri, where residents have accused the Public Works Department (PWD) of issuing a dubious and technically flawed tender for a road project that allegedly includes the construction of three bridges on a hilltop stretch with no water bodies in sight.
The tender, floated under e-NIT No. 22 of 2025-26 dated October 11, 2025, by the Superintendent Engineer, PWD (R&B) Rajouri Division, pertains to the construction of the Kamila Kot to Nila Dandh Road (Stage-I). Locals allege that the inclusion of multiple RCC bridges in the project design is an attempt to artificially inflate costs and benefit a “favoured” contractor.
Residents have slammed the move as a blatant misuse of public funds, calling it a clear example of administrative negligence and corruption. “Constructing bridges where no water body exists is sheer wastage of taxpayers’ money and defies engineering logic,” said a senior resident of Kamila Kot. “It shows how tender provisions can be twisted to serve vested interests.”
They have urged the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir union territory to order a high-level inquiry and an independent technical review into the project’s design and cost estimates. The aggrieved residents have also demanded re-tendering of the project based on actual ground realities.
Locals suggested that the funds earmarked for unnecessary bridges be diverted to Stage-II construction of the road, which they say would bring genuine infrastructural benefits to the area. Warning of possible judicial intervention if their demands go unheard, they stressed that such irregularities erode public trust and deprive deserving projects of critical resources meant for development.
