Mir Farhat
People living in the Anantnag constituency had high hopes that their area will be developed into a modern mini-city after they had elected many high profile politicians to represent them. However, just like other towns, this historic town has been neglected and the residents complained about lack of basic amenities.
The constituency is represented by the People’s Democratic Party patron and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Sajjad Ahmad, a local resident is all praise for the legislator, saying that major projects like starting South Campus of the Kashmir University, five water supply schemes, development of Rani Park and Wazirbagh Park, widening of KP road, 50-bed hospital among others are the achievements of their MLA.
People in the constituency said that only the leadership of their sitting MLA may develop their area as an urban centre with all the modernized facilities.
“No politician other than Mufti Sayeed can bring us out of this mess and lack of development. We hope if his party forms the Government after the Assembly polls, administration will modernize our town and give it a facelift of a mini-city,” said an elderly citizen Mohammad Khalil Wani in the town.
However, people of the constituency in general have complaints about the dilapidated roads, unavailability of scheduled electricity and pure drinking water.
Inhabitants of Kehribal village said they are being supplied drinking water from Shahkul canal through public health engineering pipelines, but the water supplied is impure and is not filtered.
The main road which connects the village with Main town through Mattan is macadamized but it has huge potholes which need repairing. Gurjeet Singh, a resident of the village, said the inner roads, lanes and bylanes are dilapidated and have dangerous potholes which need patchwork.
“Despite our repeated pleas to the concerned department, these lanes and bylanes are same as they were ten years ago,” Singh said, adding, some lanes and bylanes have even not been metalled.
Having a primary health centre to take care of their health, the residents complained about the staff deficiency at the centre, and the doctors who are posted there.
“Doctors do not attend to their duties regularly at the PHC. We hardly see them when we go to visit them for checkups,” Singh claimed.
Anantnag claims to have the source of the largest number of streams which include Sandran, Brengi, Arpath and Lidder. Yet the inhabitants across the constituency said they are facing water shortage due to the official apathy of Public Health Engineering Department.
“We often face water shortage. The situation is so worse that we embarrassingly request our guests not to take baths at our homes to save water for us,” said Suhail Wani, a young man in Muniwar village.
Muniwar villagers said a water filtration plant is being constructed for the last five years, but it has not been completed till now.
Villages like Danter, Dialgam, Kamad, Shichen, Batpora, Khanbal, Anchidora, Aang, Matipora, Behramshah, Kadipora, and Sarnal have dilapidated roads that link them with the main town.
Lanes and bylanes in the interiors of these villages are in shambles.
“Our pleas to our representative have not been heard. We are tired of repeated requests,” said Zubair Ahmad, a resident of Kadipora.
Villages like Mattan, Harnag and others which are closer to the town face irregular power outages.
The villagers said the few health centers in the area don’t function properly, some face space shortage, some have staff deficiency.
“For smaller ailments like fever or a minor wound, we have to go the overburdened District Hospital,” the residents said.
“Basic facilities in the town such as concrete lanes, sanitation, stadia, marriage halls, street lighting, and slaughter houses are nowhere in the town. The town is the reflection of what it was 20 years ago, nothing has been developed,” said Ghulam Rasool Rather, a shopkeeper.
Rather said traffic jams are a regular feature of their life; parking space for vehicles is not available and roads are narrow which need widening.
Kashmir University’s South Campus at Anantnag has not made any progress from the day it was commenced. The residents said they had hoped that the campus would be raised into a mini-university as was promised by the then PDP-Congress Government.
“The campus is still in that condition what it was at the time of its launching,” said a student.
Locals blamed their representative for not pursuing the case of expanding and developing the university.
Residents also flayed their legislator for not keeping up the promise of constructing a 300-bed hospital in their area.
“Our MLA during his regime in 2002-08 had promised to build a 300-bed hospital which gradually would be converted into a college. But he forgot his promise after he was elected. Now, we hope he does not remind us about his failed promise in the coming Assembly elections,” said Vikar Ahmad, a resident.
Residents also said the condition of the school building is in shambles. Some schools don’t have proper bathroom, and toilet facilities and the students said they are forced to defecate in open. Some schools need expansion for which the Government should have made available more land.
“But nothing has improved thus far. Schools’ condition is getting from bad to worse,” the residents said.
Young students in high and higher schools said the enrollment is huge and the schools are overcrowded since students prefer to study in towns than in villages.
Students demanded more buildings to overcome the crisis of over-crowding.
A senior official in the administration said the departments did not implement the plans of developing the constituency and address genuine demands of the residents.
The constituency is represented Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who defeated National Conference candidate, Mehboob Beigh by a margin of around 5000 votes in 2008 elections. Mufti polled 12439 votes and Beigh 7548.
PDP spokesman Naeem Akhtar who spoke on behalf of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed told Excelsior he has spent most of the CDF for the development of the constituency on upgradation of the education, health facilities, besides small repairing.
Akhtar said: “Mufti Sahib also used his CDF for renovation of a temple, a Gurdwara and a Shamshan Ghat in his constituency besides donating some amount to a trust that is involved in charity in healthcare sector.”
Akhtar blamed the present National Conference-Congress coalition Government for neglecting the constituency of the former Chief Minister.
“There is a general governance deficit in the State and it is more prominent in those constituencies which are represented by PDP,” he said.
Akhtar said they have done major development in Anantnag such as starting South Campus of the Kashmir University, upgradation of Government Degree College to start Masters courses.
“Some parks were developed. Widening and four-laning of Khanabal-Pahalgam road were some major projects which were planned. But these projects could not be carried forward by the present Government,” he said.
The PDP spokesman said about Anantnag his party has special development plans.
“One is decongestion of the roads, improving the condition of interior lanes, bylanes and all linking roads, electric distribution system. There is a need of a flyover in Khanabal to get rid of the traffic mess and it would be constructed,” he said.
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