WE THE PEOPLE
Thousands of Villagers of Nargistan, Watanar, Gurtu and Bangdar still craving for basic necessities of Life
They demand Electricity to lit their dark Hamlets, Potable water and Upgradation of road without any further delay
By: Mirror News Service
Srinagar: The repeated protests staged by the residents of Nargistan, Watanar, Gurtu and Bangdar in Tehsil Tral still remain unaddressed. Their demands stand highlighted through the columns of this newspaper on several occasions hitherto, but they continue to reel under long shadows of darkness. They are just thirty kilometers away from the Tehsil Headquarter, but seem to be missing in the list of priorities of the District Administration. They don't have proper road connectivity and lack potable water, which have brought the villagers face to face with unbearable hardships. The most affected are the students and the employees, who are unable to reach their places of work on time.
It may be mentioned that the government of India is conscious of the backward pockets of the country like the villages mentioned above, so launched the Bharat Nirman Programme with a thrust to improve physical and social infrastructure in rural areas. It was proposed to change the basic infrastructure in villages by the year 2009.But it appears that the spirit of Central Scheme has not penetrated down the line as thousands of residents living in the above said villages continue to remain denied the basic necessities of life and are without electricity with any immediate relief in sight. Being mostly illiterate and unaware of the Poverty Alleviation and other Developmental Programmes, they are facing severe hardships. They seem to be destined to consume raw and untreated water. They also lack health-care facilities and are forced to travel to Tehsil and District Headquarters even for ordinary ailments. It is alleged that several pregnant mothers have lost their lives so far as they do not get timely Medicare.
The case of cattle is all the more pathetic. The poor villagers are reported to have suffered huge losses due to major fatalities of cattle, as there is no proper Vet-facility available in the said hamlets. Non-availability of electricity has made lives of residents quite miserable. It has affected student community quite adversely and they are reportedly forced to migrate to other places where they are able to prosecute their studies. No parallels are available to such a scenario in our contemporary times. The condition of the main road connecting their villages with the Tehsil Headquarter is all the more pathetic. It is full of ruts and corrugations and the owners of Private bus services have abandoned this route, forcing thereby the residents to foot long distances.
"Despite being just thirty kilometers away from Tral Tehsil Headquarter, all of us are nursing apprehensions that the past and the present rulers have written us off. The District administration is on record to have been dishing out long lists of achievements, but our hamlets seem to be missing on their long canvas of publicity. We have been approaching the bigwigs to look into our genuine demands, but with no output and thousands of us continue to remain neglected and ignored. If Central authorities launched Bharat Nirman Programme in 2005 to bring basic facilities to the doorsteps of the rural population, then why authorities state have turned a Nelson's eye towards us?" Said a group of elderly persons of the said villages.
Hence they urge the government to address their genuine demands, which being supply of electricity, potable water and upgradation of road without any further delay. Whether their demands are met remains to be seen!
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