Mohinder Verma
Though it was carved out as separate administrative unit from Ladakh district in 1979 in order to ensure its holistic development in all spheres yet Kargil always remained a forgotten land in the Himalayan plateau. The district spread over 14000 square kilometers is remote, inaccessible and high altitude area in the Western Himalayas. The climatic condition of the region is harsh with extreme cold, dryness, high radiation, low oxygen and desert landscape.
It was only during the Kargil war that the district shot into prominence as prior to the war the district was even not known to the rest of the country and the world at large. Although Kargil received much attention as a battlefield, the problems and issues of the local population largely remained unnoticed till date. The district has two Legislative Assembly constituencies—Kargil and Zanskar.
The Kargil constituency assumes much importance because of having the district headquarters. But be it communication, health and educational facilities, electricity, means of sustenance and access to external market, there is no full stop to the miseries of the people.
Even the concept of Hill Council, which was constituted for the Kargil district on the analogy of Leh during the year 2003 with the sole objective of ensuring broader development of the area and its people, has failed to yield the intended results till date as people have never seen proper coordination between Hill Council and Member Legislative Assembly from the area.
The areas of Kargil constituency farther from the District Headquarters are the most neglected as they, according to the people, remained out of the focus of MLA, Qamar Ali Akhoon, who was Minister for Transport and Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department before being appointed as Advisor to the Chief Minister, during the past over five and half years.
What to talk of winters when Kargil remains cut off from rest of the world for more than six months due to massive snowfall, the people of many areas of the constituency allege that their MLA rarely visits them even during summer to take stock of their grievances and developmental needs. The people of this constituency are of the general opinion that Kargil is less developed and ranks at the bottom in infrastructural facilities and overall socio-economic development mainly because of lack of coordination between the MLA and Hill Development Council.
During the random survey conducted by EXCELSIOR in major parts of Kargil constituency recently, there was general feeling that post-Kargil war this area was again left in the state of oblivion as elected representatives—either MLA or the Councilors never paid serious attention towards the holistic development of the constituency.
“We are virtually imprisoned as the only road link which connects Kargil to the outer world is the Zojila Pass and the same becomes inaccessible for six months due to heavy snowfall and hence begins a period of isolation for us”, said Haji Ghulam Raza of Drass.
“This isolation results in great losses in terms of education, health, rural infrastructure development and most importantly sustainability”, Haji said, adding “Kargil has huge potential for winter sports and tourism but this gets badly affected due to inaccessibility. During summers, the people and the Government become more involved in stocking basic amenities for the winters and due to this, energy and time are invested into it and major development issues in different sectors get ignored”.
Stating that opening of Kargil-Skardu road and construction of tunnel at Zojila Pass were imperative for round the year connectivity of area with rest of the world so as to ensure its holistic development, Mohd Hakeem, also a resident of Drass said, “we don’t know when our period of imprisonment along with difficulties will end”, adding “we have been hearing during the past several years that a tunnel at Zojila Pass has been approved but when the same will become reality remains a million dollar question”.
“Air connectivity is another major issue as only airport in Kargil is not used for commercial flights and MLA of the area despite being aware of this necessity has failed to prevail upon the State Government to vociferously take up this demand with the concerned authorities of Union Government”, he regretted.
What to talk of round the year road connectivity and air services on the pattern of Leh, major parts of the Kargil constituency do not have credible communication link with rest of the world.
“Mobile signal of only BSNL is available and the same gets affected badly during the winter months”, Abdul Gaffar, a resident of Kargil town said, adding “in the areas farther from the district headquarters there is no telecommunication link due to which the people usually find it difficult to approach their relatives or the administration during the hours of emergency particularly during winters”.
“In the present scenario, without adequate communication facilities the socio-economic and educational development is impossible. However, in this age of internet, the region lacks proper basic communication means”, Ali Raza of Kargil town said, adding “internet is out of question as the state of mobile and telephone services is miserable”.
According to the people, they brought communication related difficulties to the notice of MLA a number of times for vociferously raising the issue before the concerned authorities of the Union Government but the situation remains the same.
The health and education sectors, which as per the statements of State Government are priority areas, remain hostage to the shortage of teaching staff and doctors. During the survey, it came to fore that there was hardly any educational institution or the health centre which is not grappling with difficulties.
“The district lacks up-to-date medical facilities and health specialists. Most of the time, we have to travel to the valley and other States for health tests and major operations”, people said, adding “there is acute shortage of proper health infrastructure in villages and we remain hapless in case of health emergency during the winter. Under these circumstances, our survival always remains at threat”.
On one side, the harsh winter takes toll on the education for six months and on the other side shortage of teaching staff is creating hurdles in shaping of future of the children. “The focus was only on the upgradation and opening of new schools but the important aspect of providing adequate number of teachers never received the required focus of the MLA”, people alleged, adding “this amounts to playing with the future of the students that too from an area where development is still a dream”.
As far as power sector is concerned, Marpocho mini hydel project caters to the electricity requirement of Drass town during the summer but during winter people remain dependent on DG sets. “The availability of electricity during winter when the same is needed most can be gauged from the fact that this DG set provides power only for four hours a day that too from 6 pm to 10 pm”, a shopkeeper of Drass town said.
When asked about Chutuk Power Project, he informed that this project provides electricity to areas up to Bhimbet and NHPC has yet not completed the process of laying transmission lines in order to cover all parts of Kargil constituency, Mohd Hakeem said, adding “in the absence of electricity the people are dependent on fuel-wood to sustain life during the freezing winters”.
While the people of Drass block and many parts of Kargil constituency paint gloomy picture about the electricity supply, the inhabitants of Kargil town and adjoining areas do not have much grievances to project about this sector. “MLA has played very important role in ensuring road connectivity in major parts of the constituency and improving power scenario”, the inhabitants of Kargil town said. These people don’t have any complaint about MLA’s public rapport and said, “he is available whenever we want him”.
The inhabitants of Drass, Shakar-Chiktan and Sankoo blocks held MLA responsible for poor road connectivity, shortage of teachers in schools and inadequate doctors and medicines in the health centres. The people were also found critical about availability of ration during the winter months. “Even when Qamar Ali Akhoon was CAPD Minister we faced shortage of ration during winters”, they said, adding “the concerned authorities only give interviews on the televisions about ensuring sufficient winter stockings but the ground situation remains contrary to the same”.
Guler Ali of Shakar Chiktan, while criticizing the MLA for turning blind eye towards the area, said, “both the Shakar Chiktan and Shargole blocks are facing road connectivity problems but it seems nobody is ready to project this issue at the right forum”, adding “the health centres in these two blocks too are reeling under the shortage of doctors and medicines”.
Abbas Ahmad of Pushkum said, “our area is 15 kilometers away from the Kargil town but road connectivity indicates as if we are living in a separate world”, adding “compensation for the damages suffered during 2010 flash floods has yet not been paid to large number of people despite bringing this issue to the notice of MLA”.
During survey, general complaint of the people irrespective of their area was that there was no coordination between Hill Council and MLA as a result of which developmental needs of several areas are getting ignored and people feel discriminated with.
When contacted, Qamar Ali Akhoon said, “the road connectivity, which the district in general and Kargil constituency in particular witnessed during my tenure, was not witnessed for years together”, adding “even all out efforts were made to provide electricity to the people”.
“In the coming years, power scenario will improve considerably as 11 projects under Ministry of New and Renewable Energy schemes and one major project of 105 Mega Watt capacity will come up”, he said, adding “I am personally monitoring progress on these projects”.
Admitting delay on the party of NHPC in laying of transmission lines to provide power being generated from Chutuk project to major areas, he said, “I am constantly expressing concern to the NHPC authorities in this regard and following my intervention the process of laying transmission lines has geared up now”.
Though Mr Akhoon admitted shortage of doctors and teachers yet he claimed that situation has improved during the past some years and he has been making endeavors to improve the scenario further.
About the communication link, the MLA claimed that situation would improve as on his interventions some cellular companies have expressed interest in installation of their towers in the area. Similarly, he said that commercial flights to and fro Kargil airport would begin following expansion of runway for which land has already been provided to the concerned authorities.
When asked about lack of coordination between him and Hill Council, he refused to comment but said, “we want to work collectively for the betterment of the people”. He said that 90% grievances of the Kargil would get resolved following round the year connectivity by way of tunnel at Zojila for which he said National Conference Government has put immense pressure on the Union Government.
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