Zero bridge is an old designed beautiful wooden bridge situated in Srinagar city that connects Sonwar in the north and Rajbagh in the south. It is two km away from Lal Chowk. It is believed that the bridge was built in the late 1950s by a local contractor “Zor” which means deaf in Kashmiri and was slowly changed into Zero bridge. The weak wooden bridge could not bear the weight of vehicles running over it as it might collapse, so the bridge was immediately closed in 1980s. With the passing of time, this bridge was taken for granted. It’s a point where people meet each other. The view of this bridge is so charming that it allures the heart and minds of people so much that they love to stay on it. After working long hours people get suffocated at home, so they come here to inhale fresh air. It is a place where friends meet. People come here to enjoy each other. There are small beautiful huts on this bridge with benches inside it where everyone can sit and have their eatables. At night the bridge looks so bright and sparkling and adds to the beauty of the area Unfortunately, the current condition of the bridge is horrible. Several wooden planks of the Bridge have been removed, burnt or damaged. The people walking on this bridge can easily fall into the river. As the floor of the bridge has many gaps, small children can get stuck into it which can cause fatal accidents.
The children lie to their parents that they are out for tuition but in reality, they start roving on this bridge for the whole day. The saddest part is that the bridge nowadays has become a hot spot of drug consumption. it is also being misused by some people. Many Crimes are taking place on this bridge. During the night hours, men and young boys from different places smoke cigarettes and consume dangerous substances and when any person tries to stop them the youngsters become angry and shout at him. These vagabond drunkards are not in their senses which is why they abuse people on this bridge. There is not a single security guard present on it. People without any fear are free to do whatever they want. Here families visit for eternal peace but don’t feel safe at all. The previous Governments have not taken pains for its maintenance due to which the bridge is slowly becoming a drug point which can be dangerous for the whole valley. It is very unfortunate that this beautiful architectural structure has been damaged. Authorities must repair it and bring people responsible for vandalism this structure of art to justice.
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