Mir Farhat
Devsar constituency which skirts the border of the newly created Kulgam district has seen semblance of development in the last few years, but residents across the villages said their areas have been neglected.
The Constituency is represented by Deputy Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and PDP senior leader, Sartaj Madni. Majority of the inhabitants of the constituency said the basic necessities of life like drinking water, roads, health facilities and education are lacking here.
Arshad Ahmad a villager in Sopat Tangpora said their village has been the most neglected during the last five years. “Our village sees electricity only once a week. We don’t get potable drinking water available in the village. Our mothers and sisters have to fetch water from nallahs,” Ahmad said.
Villagers complain that administration has not completed the water supply schemes in the whole area and thus they are forced to drink untreated water from streams leading to water born disease in the area.
Kilam, which was named model village in 2007 has not been a “model” among the villages. It has a population of about 20,000 and is the biggest village of the constituency.
“We are ashamed to call our village as model village. What development has taken place here? We are forced to drink unhygienic drinking water,” said Mohammad Usman Bhat, 33.
Bhat said their area is getting water from Pahloo-Chatripora-Kilam water supply scheme. “But the water is hazardous as it is unfiltered. Insects, and small fish come out of the taps,” he said.
The villagers said they don’t get electricity even as per the schedule and the village has seen their lamps lighten when their MLA’s son was married recently.
“We saw electricity for the first time for 124 hours during the Wedding Ceremony of politician’s son. We received electricity during this time without any interruption. Since then we haven’t seen lamps glow in our homes,” said Mohammad Iqbal, a local.
An elderly man, Abdur Rehman, said the link road and lanes inside the village are in shambles and have not been macadamized for 25 years now. He said the state of the health in the village is unwell.
The village had got a sub district hospital built few years ago, but the villagers said only the buildings stand constructed. “It has no infrastructure and human resource. No doctors are posted in the hospital, patients are checked by a compounder. There is no medical equipment like X-rays, no lab tests are conducted here,” Rehman said.
This hospital caters for thousands of people living in 25 villages in the constituency. The residents said that it would be a major relief for the residents of the area if the hospital is made functional properly.
The inhabitants said that the area lags behind in educational facilities also
A Government Degree College was announced some years ago but all the buildings are incomplete. “Our children have to travel longer distances to reach college as the college buildings’ construction is going on at slow pace,” the villagers said.
Just a kilometer away is the Bosgam village which has a single Government Middle School. “Unfortunately, it functions from three rooms forcing the teachers to hold classes in the open. The school needs to be expanded so that the enrollment of the students increases,” said Mohammad Ayoub Dar, a parent.
The villagers also demand a First Aid Centre so that it caters to their health needs during exigencies.
A drive into the interiors of the constituency to the villages like Larm Ganjipora, Chidham, Chirat, Sopat Tangpora, Kund does give a gloomy picture of the development.
Villagers said the roads and lanes are in shambles and when they drive toward their area, they felt like moving on rocks.
“The roads have never been macadamized or metalled. We are living a life of hell. Politicians come during elections only for votes,” said the villagers.
The villagers also complained about shortage of ration at their Public Distribution Centers. In Watihal, the villagers said the face shortage of drinking water.
“We receive water supply for an hour in a day which does not meet our daily requirements,” said Dilshada, a 42-year-old women, adding that if there was not electricity there was not water supply to them.
She said the administration had dug a bore-well to provide them water, but the well has not been completed yet. “We are forced to drink water from nallahs. Look where do we wash our clothes and utensils,” she said, pointing toward a young girl who was washing her clothes with dirty water flowing through a drain which smelt stench from a distance.
The residents said they are supplied unfiltered water from Nagras water supply scheme which does not suffice as quantity is very less.
The villagers showed a narrow shabby road that bore big potholes and boulders occupied its surface. The road, Mohammad Amin Bhat, said connects about seven villages.
“See how we are living. All the villagers, young, old, school children have to walk over this rough surface. No representative has ever cared to metal or macadamize this road,” Bhat said, warning that they would teach the incumbent legislator a lesson “very soon”.
The residents also said their villages have few electricity poles and they were forced to take transmission lines along trees.
Similarly, residents of the village Checki Badwani shared same tales like their neighbours.
Devsar constituency which has 76,158 voters, which include 39,702 male and 36,456 female voters, is represented by PDP member Sartaj Madni in the Assembly. Madni defeated NC candidate Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad Shah by a margin of 4000 votes. Madni polled 14175 votes and Shah 10174.
The villagers said they have not seen Madni after they voted him to power to address their grievances.
“Though our MLA has done some good things for us like getting a Degree College, tehsil status and sub district hospital, but that is not enough. Our area needs lot of improvement in sectors like electricity, health and education which are our basic and essential requirements,” said a group of villagers in Hablish.
The villagers pointed toward the Government High School which has broken windowpanes and the small school compound has not been fenced since it has been built.
The MLA Devsar Sartaj Madni told EXCELSIOR that people always have complaints about the basic amenities and the legislators cannot stop them from complaining.
Madni said the main problems faced by the people should be addressed by the Government as MLAs do not have much role to address their genuine grievances.
He said despite that he has done a number of development works in his constituency during his tenure as MLA.
“Major works like granting tehsil to Devsar, a Degree College in Kilam has been done in my tenure. A number of bridges in villages like Chirhama, Zadoora, Mundhal, Kalangund, Nowpora and Kralu have been built in these 12 years,” he said.
The MLA said a number of roads like Qazigund-Kulgam, Mirbazar-Zangalpora have been constructed under PMGSY scheme. In addition, he said, small link roads like Barihama-Babapora, Krachak, Agrichek, Devsar, Ganjipora-Rohpora, Khudwani-Rohpora were built.
Madni said he has upgraded nine high schools to higher secondaries in Vessu, Devsar, Ranzloo, Qazigund, Panzeth, Sadora, Furra, Baihama. He claimed all habitations in the constituency have primary schools.
The MLA said seven water supply schemes have been built in Mlaikabad, Cheki, Badwani, Kralchek, Gund Tankipora, Hanjipora, Maskhud to supply drinking water to people. “Some are functional, and some do not have filtration plants,” he said.
Madni said two power receiving stations are being constructed in Vessu and Kilam to improve electricity in the constituency and has allotted transformers in most of the habitations.
About healthcare facilities, the MLA said five primary health centers (PHC) are in the constituency in villages like Vessu, Kilam, Ranzloo, Akhran and Devsar; Vessu functioning from rented building although its building is complete, Devsar PHC under construction.
Madni admitted that there is deficiency of medical staff in these health centers due to which people suffer. About dilapidated lanes and by-lanes, Madni said all villages could not have concrete lanes and by-lanes.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel