Mir Farhat
Handwara constituency is not only remote in location but in development too. The constituency lacks proper healthcare, sans drinking water, has potholed roads and inadequate school infrastructure.
The constituency is represented by National Conference senior leader, Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, who defeated People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Ghulam Mohidin Sofi by a margin of 11000 votes. Ramzan polled 27, 907 votes and Sofi 16, 317.
Inhabitants of the villages in this hilly area are disgruntled with the performance of their MLA as they grapple with daily issues of life like drinking water, metalled roads, healthcare and schooling of their children.
Satkoochi habitation which is the far-flung area of the constituency and is home to thousands of people who are spread across three hamlets of Khanpora, Dhardaji and Brinal lacks basic facilities.
Although the residents have a motorable road that snakes through the highland yet they face problems especially in healthcare. Residents whose houses are perched on hills have been provided with one health sub center. The sub center is located in a wooden rented room of a local resident. It has single steel bed with a red sheet hiding its corroded surface, a pharmacist looks after the patients.
The pharmacist who didn’t identify himself said no medicine has been supplied to it for the last one year. He said people usually get infected with impure water and suffer severe dehydration, but no medicine is available for them.
“I purchase medicine from the market for the patients. There is not even first aid available here,” he said.
Thousands of residents here have been left to fend for themselves. Patients, young, old and women, have been suffering for the last six decades for want of a doctor.
Deen Mohammad Khatana, an elderly resident, complained that the pharmacist comes the health centre twice a week. He said they have no drinking water and distant community taps are a source of water for them. “Water is supplied for two hours in the morning and evening. Whosoever is fortunate collects water,” he said.
Khatana said the people face manifold problems and the acute among them being health and ration supply.
School children are the worst sufferers of lack of health facilities. A teacher said the school children often take ill but there are no facilities or first aid at the health center.
Being the remotest area, residents’ main occupation is maize farming and collecting forest wood. Khatana said they usually get injured during cutting of wood and have nowhere to nurse their wounds because the health sub center has no dressing or bandage material available.
A primary health center has been built in Behnipora for more than 20, 000 people who are living in villages of Dardhaji, Khanpora, Brinal, Rehnezeb, Budhsini, Behnipora, Golipora, Lachpora, Sarij, Ahgam, Rajpora, Nichama and Hamle.
Built in 2009, the primary health center has only two doctors, an ISM and an allopathic doctor. The ISM is posted in the centre and the other doctor is attached from Zachaldara hospital to this PHC.
The PHC has acute shortage of doctors, and paramedical staff. The PHC has seen no supply of medicine in the last over one year. No surgeons have been posted here to take care of the pregnant women and patients who need emergency care.
One of the doctors said 50 patients visit the health center daily but get dejected as they can’t get complete treatment here.
Healthcare is not the only problems faced by people but they also grapple with dilapidated roads, shortage of pure drinking water and electricity.
Road connectivity to these villages is poor and lanes, bylanes in these villages have never been metalled.
Government schools in Rajpora, Khaipora, Tarakpora and other dozens of villages are housed in dingy wooden rented rooms with no toilet and drinking water facilities. Five classes and scores of students are cramped in these rooms.
Similarly residents in Ramhal, Rajpora, Vilgam, Warpora, Wadipora, Budkoot, Machipora, Sodal, Devaspora, Geripora, Sheilal, Bakiekar, Hardanpora complained about shortage of drinking water and electricity.
These villages have no access to the health facilities as sub centers of the area have either no doctors or have no facility in them.
The roads are dilapidated, lanes and bylanes are not metalled, and government schools lack toilet and drinking water facilities.
Residents of Handwara town fumed at the MLA for letting his workers and contractors rule the constituency. “There are several rogue elements, who enjoys the patronage of NC leadership”, said residents.
The residents said Handwara being abundant in water resources has no mini-hydel project to curtail shortage of electricity. Healthcare in the town is craving for improvement. The sub-district hospital lacks basic facilities, has shortage of space, and medical equipment.
Residents said Government has announced lignite project in Rajwara but nothing happened after the announcement. They said Krumbhora water supply scheme has been tendered in 2008 but the work has not been allotted to any person.
The constituency has no sports stadium for its young sports enthusiasts. Young men across the constituency are angry with the legislator, saying no sports facilities has been provided to them not to talk of a playground.
Some villages in the constituency have halted their daily activities and are protesting against the Government for being unfair in creating new administrative units in the constituency.
Residents in Vilgam have pitched a tent in the main market and are protesting against the legislator for allotting tehsil status to a neighbouring village, Tarekpora.
They said the MLA influenced the Government decision and ignored their village despite it being centre to scores of other villages.
People in the hilly town blamed the PHE of becoming a hub of “corrupt practices and vested interests” who loot public exchequer without bothering for the miseries of public who face drinking water crisis.
“PHE Department has failed to provide drinking water to majority population who are crying and protesting as their miseries have increased manifold. But the MLA has equally failed to address the issue,” Ghulam Qadir, a resident said.
Residents of several villages are up in arms against the authorities for failing to stop illegal stone and sand extraction from Tulari, Lalkohal and Mawar streams.
Despite Government ban on illegal extraction of stones, boulders and sand from these fresh water streams in the district. The illegal practice is going on unabated and is destroying fish habitat and rendering agriculture land waterless.
Heavy extraction of sand and boulders is going on and heavy vehicles like tippers, tractors and excavators operate in these water bodies.
“The unabated use of stone crushers has caused environmental pollution in the area making us prone to ailments especially chest ailments. On the other hand, use of excavators for sand mining has created shortage of irrigation water for paddy and maize fields in the area,” the residents said.
Residents demanded a joint inspection of the area by agricultural and environmental scientists with Government officials.
“To date no official has paid any heed towards our problems. What is the use of development if it leads to destruction of paddy fields and ecological imbalance? We appeal authorities to conduct a survey and ascertain loss caused due to these crushers and sand mining,” they said.
The locals blamed the department of Mining of Kupwara of being hand in glove with stone crusher owners and people who extract sand from these streams.
The MLA Handwara was contacted by Excelsior several times during past two weeks but he didn’t responded.
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