Anantnag Shopping complex turns into Drug addicts asylum

Sameer Ahmad

Anantnag: Almost 16 years have passed since the Anantnag shopping complex was constructed . However the complex still awaits completion.According to sources the government has spent crores of rupees on building this  shopping complex that has now  turned into a drug addicts asylum.

Sources informed  Arising state that the shopping complex is abandoned by the Anantnag administration following which it has turned into a den for drug addicts , giving sleepless nights to its residents .

In the premises of the shopping complex, one can find empty bottles of codeine (the most abused prescription drug) and empty strips and syringes of drugs used by the addicts, who come in the evening hours mostly and are involved in drug abuse in the abandoned shopping complex sources informed.

The construction of the commercial shopping mall was started by Urban Local Bodies Kashmir back in 2005 with much enthusiasm.However ,after the passage of 15 years the project is still awaiting completion despite the implementing agency has doubled the estimated cost of the project.

The abandoned shopping complex is laying in the heart of the town and is in front of the District commissioner’s office Anantnag.

Official sources told Arising state that in 2008, the then government stopped funds to the project because of which the work on the project was stopped and later was resumed in 2015 after revising the project cost.

The allotted cost of this project (Anantnag commercial shopping complex) was 8.65 Cr and now the revised cost of the same project is 19.28Cr,” officials said.

Sources said that the abandoned complex had turned into a safe haven for drug addicts, added that despite taking token money from at least 130 shopkeepers, the Urban Local Bodies Department has failed to complete the work.

Meanwhile talking to Arising state locals said that the ground floor of the complex was used for  parking by the shopkeepers. Recently ,a theft case of a santro was reported near the complex.

”There are frequent cases of theft from the cars parked in the parking lot situated in the ground floor of this complex and commoners/local shopkeepers fear to venture into the parking facility  as the drug addicts camp in this structure all the time”they said.