WE THE PEOPLE
Laying of Railway Track has deprived thousands of Rawalpora, Wanabal residents of basic necessities of life
They seek intervention by authorities, demand effective road connectivity, irrigation and drainage facilities
By: Safwan Khan
Srinagar: With the installation of Railway Track in Kashmir Valley, people expected that it would bring relief and end their miseries, but thousands of people living in Railway Colony Rawalpora-Wanabal have been deprived of basic necessities of life. People in large numbers were shifted to either side of the Railway Track in the year 2001, while their residential houses pulled down with the promise that they will be properly rehabilitated but it has not happened and people in large numbers continue to crave for drinking water, effective road connectivity, irrigation and drainage systems. A small shower of rain is enough to drown and submerge the locality, thereby immobilizing and bringing all their activities to a grinding halt. They had been promised model roads, power supply and other essential services but stand deprived of such facilities. Besides an age-old canal known as Chek Kul stands encroached by the Railway Track, resulting in disrupting irrigation facilities to their paddy-growing areas completely.
With huge Central Financial Assistance, it was expected that the Valley of Kashmir would wear a healthy look and most of the problems being faced by people would be addressed to their satisfaction. But it has not happened and areas like the ones cited above continue to reel under the shadows of dissatisfaction. In fact six crore areas of infrastructure development had been identified under the Bharat Nirman Programme for implementation in a time bound manner. Under this Programme, the basic infrastructure earmarked had to be changed by the year 2009 to bring basic amenities to the doorsteps of the people of the country. The basic facilities being irrigation, drinking water supply rural electrification and rural telephone connectivity. As far as irrigation is concerned, it has been decided to connect all habitations having a population of 1000 with all weather roads. Provision of safe drinking water to all villages and habitations in the country. Providing electricity connection to two crore thirty lakh households by 2009, construction of sixty lakh houses for the rural poor and to bring telephone connectivity to those not connected so far.
As far as the state like J&K is concerned, the Programme is required to be implemented by the state government through Panchayati Raj Bodies. It is not a programme for the state governments alone but it is an agenda for every body-for trade and industry, for farmers, artisans, social workers and every single countryman, whether a user or a partner in the task of nation building. It is viewed that Bharat Nirman Programme is an effort to unlock rural growth potential. The targets set out in each of the six crore areas are quit ambitious and as such there should have been no difficulty in providing basic necessities to the residents of Rawalpora and Wanabal. The inhabitants are well positioned and well placed in a district and there should have been no difficulty for the district administration to resolve their issues.
With the introduction and installation of Railway Track in our area, we thought that we shall be nearer to each and every corner of the valley and the Railway Authorities would address all our problems. In fact, they had promised us to provide better road connectivity, safe drinking water, electricity and health-care facility. But no such facilities have been provided to us and on the contrary our age old Zamindari Canal stands encroached and irrigation facilities denied to our paddy-growing areas. We used to cultivate our land and grow food to sustain our families but with the disruption of the canal, our fields have turned barren. The state government functionaries dish out statements after statements to project their achievements but all such slogans get falsified by the prevailing conditions in our areas. Our localities are just at a stones throw distance from the district Head Quarter, but it seems that the officials are in deep slumber and unaware of our pathetic plight, said a group of residents of Rawalpora and Wanabal areas.
Hence it becomes necessary for the authorities of the Railway Department and District Administration to take cognizance of our problems and address them with a high sense of urgency so that our sufferings get mitigated without any further delay.
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