WE THE PEOPLE
Thousands of Villagers of Nargistan, Watanar, Gurtu and Bangdar continue to Reel under Shadows of Darkness
They don’t cry for Luxuries, but demand Solar Lights to light their Hearths and Road Connectivity to remain Mobile
By: MNS/Shirjeel/Zedan Khan
Srinagar: Denying basic necessities of life to people, especially in this age of advanced Technology puts a big question mark against the State Functionaries, who day in day out dish out long lists of achievements.
However, it was after repeated reminders to the State Functionaries that work had been started by the concerned Agency on the construction of Link Road to facilitatate movement of thousands of villagers living in Nargistan, Watanar, Gurtu and Bangdar. Although the pace of work was reported to be very slow, yet it was expected that they would ensure its completion before the winter season. It is now reported that the work has been suspended for unexplainable reasons. The villages continue to reel under dark shadows of darkness since the habitation has surfaced in the said segments of Tral Tehsil. They don’t ask for Moon, but Solar Lights, which could be provided to them easily if the Authorities pay heed to their genuine demand.
It is pertinent to state that 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, lack potable water and electricity. Non-availability of such facilities has 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.
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 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.
But the above said villagers are mostly illiterate and unaware of the Poverty Alleviation and other Developmental Programmes, so 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 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. But 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.
“We are correct 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 have turned a Nelson’s eye towards us?” said a group of elderly persons of the said villages.
Hence the Villagers urge the government to address their genuine demands, which being supply of electricity, potable water and up gradation of road. The minimum they want is the Solar Lights so that they could light their Hearths and also resumption of work on the Road.
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