Excelsior Correspondent
KISHTWAR, Feb 28: Living on the brink of devastation Malai villagers in Drabshalla tehsil of Kishtwar district have reiterated their demand that immediate steps be taken to save the village from further destruction.
The village which exists on a steep hillock is facing the threat of both landslides and soil erosion due to which many houses, cowsheds etc were damaged. The villagers pass sleepless nights especially during the rainy season as the threat of land slides and soil erosion looms large during this period.
The people have approached every body in the Government demanding that the village be shifted to safer place or some measures be taken to check the continuous soil erosion and land sliding so that the inhabitants of the village can heave a sigh of relief and get rid of daily threat faced by them due to land sliding and soil erosion but to no avail.
Tara Chand Parihar, ex chairman, Panchayat Halqa Sangra while highlighting the plight of the people of the village said that in case immediate steps were not taken the land sliding and soil erosion can spell a doom for the village. He said though we have been demanding to shift the village to an alternative place but no concrete steps were taken by the administration till date.
Even the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu had issued directives to Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar in November 2015 asking him to furnish a detailed project report regarding rehabilitation of the families affected due to landslide and incessant rains during September 2014 and March 2015 in district Kishtwar. But the said project report has not seen the light of the day, said Parihar.
The District administration in its earlier report submitted to Divisional Commissioner Jammu in April 2015 had informed him that 79 families are facing threat due to soil erosion and land sliding in Malai village.
When contacted District Development Commissioner Kishtwar Ghulam Nabi Balwan said that district administration is well versed with the problem and a project report in this regard is being framed for the rehabilitation of the affected families of the village at a suitable place.
Expressing concern over the delaying tactics of the administration in shifting of the villagers to safer place Shamsher Singh Bhandari, ex secretary Youth Congress and member Civil Society Kishtwar said that land sliding , soil erosion etc problems are being faced by 21 villages in Kishtwar district and administration till date took no concrete steps to provide succor to these hapless people who are under the jaws of death as any eventuality can take place at any time in these villages.
The residents however are hopeful that the District administration this time is keen in finding an everlasting solution to the problem.
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