Friday, April 8 2005 13:35 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kaman Post (LoC Kashmir): It was a dreadful place resounding with booming guns till recently. But now Kaman forward area in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir has become a gateway between two parts of the State divided 57 years ago.

A dividing line earlier, the Kaman Bridge, now named as 'aman setu' (peace bridge), has become a uniting platform between people of Jammu and Kashmir on two sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and India and Pakistan.

The 'kutcha' land-mined path between Uri and Muzaffarabad has been replaced with a concrete surfaced motorable road to enable buses from the two sides to ferry people across the LoC.

The cross-over of 49 people of either side of JK into the other part of the State yesterday (Apr 7, 2005) as part of the launch of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service has given a new hope to the residents of Uri.

"It was my dream to see this road reopen before my end came. The dream has been fulfilled," remarked 72-year-old Mohammad Zaman of Urusa, a border village near Kaman post.

Recalling how he in his young days used to go to Muzaffarabad on a cart prior to 1947 with his father, he curses the day when the route was cut off.

"There is almost nobody in my village who does not have relatives across the LoC," Zaman added in an emotional tone while pointing out that Uri used to be tehsil of Muzaffarabad prior to partition of the State.

"Thousands of people left here during the war in 1947 because of fear and not of their will," he said.

The residents of Uri point out that Muzaffarabad is just about 70 kms from Uri. "It is just over an hour-long journey from here but bridging this distance has taken so many decades," adds Suleman, noting that residents of Uri would celebrate the launch of the bus service.

The Kaman Bridge, constructed in 1880s, used to be motorable in wooden form since 1906. It was destroyed by fleeing Pakistani invaders after the 1947 war and remained in that State till last month.

After India and Pakistan decided in February to ply the bus service, the Borders Roads Organisation (BRO) started constructing the road and built the iron Kaman bridge over the broken wooden one in an outstanding period of eight hours.

Happy with the launch of the bus service, the residents of Uri particularly thanked Governments of India and Pakistan for declaring the ceasefire, saying it had made their lives easier, safer and worth living.