Waseem Ahmad
Baramulla: Residents of Baramulla constituency felt neglected due to less development of the area that has led to suffering of people as they lacked proper basic facilities of healthcare, education, power, drinking water and road connectivity.
The Constituency was represented by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader, Javed Hassan Baig, who defeated National Conference candidate, Ghulam Hassan Rahi, by a huge margin of 7017 votes in 2014 Assembly elections. Baig polled 14418 votes and Khan 7401.
Inhabitants of this constituency said that some sort of developmental works were done in past four years, but the main Baramulla town was neglected and work on vital projects is yet to be started.
The dilapidated roads leading to traffic mess -on main and link roads, poor state of health sector, electricity crisis, drinking water scarcity, sanitation problems and Government apathy are the main problems the constituency faced.
The inhabitants of the constituency said that the main town of Baramulla has been neglected despite the residents raising the issue with the former MLA. They said lack of parking spaces in the main market of town are hampering the vehicular movement and causing inconvenience to the pedestrians.
The locals said that till date not a single parking space has been provided and the illegal parking on the Town’s roadsides has resulted in vehicles occupying a major portion of the thoroughfare thereby stifling the traffic movement.
“We have to face various hardships to reach our destinations as the private and passenger vehicles are often stuck in the traffic jams. There is no parking space available in the area and people park their vehicles haphazardly,” Bashir Ahmad, a resident of Baramulla said, adding apart from causing traffic snarls the haphazard parking often leads to brawls between the motorists.
Mohammad Maqbool, a businessman from main town Baramulla, said the inhabitants of main town are suffering during rains and winters due to the absence of proper drainage system. “Whole town submerges into water in rains and all the main drains remain chocked due to the official apathy,” he said adding the former MLA has not shown any concern for the issue.
Shahbaz Ahmad, a local shopkeeper of the town told Excelsior that despite being the second densely populated city of Kashmir, Baramulla sans proper garbage dumping site because of which local Municipal Community dumps garbage in open in the bus stand. “People avoid bus stand due to the bad smell emanating from huge piles of garbage that remains lying in the bus stand without any treatment,” he added.
The Traders Federation of Baramulla said that the town has been neglected. “Street lights are lying defunct since the day when these were installed. Nobody bothers to repair them despite repeated pleas to concerned officials and leaders,” they said. Despite taking up the issue with the former MLA, he has not done anything.
Muhammad Ashraf, president Baramulla Traders Federation said that the traffic lights as well as street lights that were installed recently are not working properly due to which commuters and traders have to face immense hardships.
The residents of this constituency said that medical facilities and necessary medical services are hardly available in the area. They said that the district hospital here lacks facilities and has dearth of staff and they raised the issue with the former MLA several times but nothing changed.
The locals alleged that in absence of the required staff they are forced to visit other hospitals for treatment. “They shifted the hospital from old building which was 100 bedded to the new 300 bedded hospital complex but the staff remained same as was in the old hospital,” general secretary, Traders Federation Baramulla, Tariq Ahmad Mugloo said.
“The 100-bedded old hospital building was abandoned by the authorities in 2013 due to lack space there and shifted to the newly constructed hospital building in Kanthbagh area of the district”, he said.
The poor health care facilities can be seen in the Sheeri belt of the constituency also as the locals complained that the lack of basic health care facilities is hampering the patient care at Government Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Sheeri.
The residents said that they raised the issue several times with the former MLA of the constituency and he assured help but nothing changed on the ground.
The inhabitants of the constituency also said that the education sector has also been neglected and various schools are without proper infrastructure and lacked facilities.
Government Primary School at Shaltang in Sheeri area is facing dearth of staff and lack of basic infrastructure. The school located merely seven kilometers from the main town of Baramulla has only two teachers with 50 students enrolled there and is without proper basic facilities like classrooms, playground, electricity and fencing.
Another school, Government Boys Middle School at Sheeri Payeen area is also facing the same problems. The school lacked basic facilities including space, electricity, playground and staff.
The inhabitants of the constituency also complained that the construction of a bridge at Khawajabagh area called ‘Jetty Bridge’ is incomplete despite passing more than 16 years. The construction of the bridge was initiated in 2002, but the work was suspended frequently due to paucity of funds.
The locals said that the 262 meters bridge, besides, connecting Khawajabagh and Janbazpora, would connect these areas with the Srinagar-Baramulla road. It would reduce the travelling time and serve as an alternative road between Baramulla and the Kupwara Town. “We have to cover a long distance to reach Kupwara, the bridge if constructed will help us in reducing the distance of about 30 kilometres,” Tariq Ahmad, a resident said.
Another project that has not been completed yet is the construction of the lone Indoor sports stadium of Baramulla. The locals said that the lone Indoor stadium at Khawaja Bagh area of the constituency is not complete even as five years have passed since the construction of the building was started. “We raised the issue with the former MLA who assured that it would not completed but nothing happened.
The unscheduled power cuts continue to irk consumers in metered and unmetered areas of this constituency. Residents said that the power supply is erratic in rural area of constituency.
The Residents of Singpora, Uplana, Khaitangan, Nopora, Chandoosa, Pachar, Hudpora, Narwaw, Janbazpora, Khadinyar, Dardpora and Katiawal said that power was playing hide and seek and during night hours the supply goes off for hours together.
People in general said that MGNREGA scheme benefitted only close friends and relatives of influential people. They said contractors looted the government treasures in the name of MGNREGA by using sub-standard material. Machines were used instead of mandatory manpower to execute the works in most of the villages.
The inhabitants of Old Town, Kanispora and Sangri said that the authorities have failed to implement the proposal for decongestion of over-crowded population here. “Government has announced that congested areas would be decongested by developing a residential colony for people. The proposed Greater Baramulla project has not seen the light of the day. Rs 11.5 crore of the project are lying unused,” the locals said.
Ex-MLA of Baramulla constituency, Javed Hassan Baig told Excelsior that he did his best to develop the constituency but as the Government fell, the major developmental works got hampered. “On an average, we got only two years. We came to power in 2015 and in 2016, the unrest in the Valley affected the works and in 2018, the Government got collapsed. So, technically we got only two years-2015 and 2017 to work. We did our best to carry the develop the constituencies of the Valley,” he said.
Baig said during his tenure he made sure that the constituency is developed and was able to carry out most of the developmental activities. “Nearly projects worth Rs 300 crores were sanctioned in the constituency and about 50 percent of the projects were completed while work on remaining is going on,” he said
The ex-MLA said that the most of the roads in the constituency which were in dilapidated condition were repaired and macadamized. He said the main roads as well as inner roads in several areas including Old Town, Noorbagh to Kantbagh, Gantmulla Payeen, Kitchama, Zoogiyar, Zadpharan, Delina, Singpora, Kanispora, Khawajabagh, Bandi Pyeen, Nowgam, Chandoosa, Fakirbagh etc were macadamized and repaired.
In Health care sector, Baig said: “The funds were allotted for the up-gradation of the services in District Hospital Baramulla. In Narwah block of the constituency, three hospitals were sanctioned; the work on two is going on while as Rs 1 crore was given for the improvement of PHC Sheeri. An ambulance was given to the Khaiteng hospital and a total of 10 dispensaries were opened in the constituency. Besides an Allopethic hospital was in the pipeline for the Constituency.”
The Ex-MLA said that he tried to rectify the Electricity sector in the constituency and did his best to provide this facility to every household. “I invested a lot of funds in installing new electric wires and poles so that electricity will be reached to every household in constituency. The receiving stations were given and old ones were up-graded in various areas including Sheeri, Kitchama, Gantmulla Bala, Payeen and Loridoora,” he said.
Baig said in education sector a Higher Secondary School that was devastated in a fire incident was constructed and schools buildings in Adoora, Kawhar, Hajibal and Bandi Payeen were also constructed. He said various schools were up-graded in the constituency, besides, a Nursing College was sanctioned in Delina area and work on it is going on.
The ex-MLA said that Rs 7.50 crores were approved for the languishing projects in the constituency. He said funds were provided for the construction of bridges including Fish Market bridge, Jetty bridge, Aadoora bridge, Sochliwaran bridge and Kalaeban bridge.
Besides, he said various parks were developed, marriage halls were constructed, water sector was rectified and various road widening projects were approved in the constituency.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
