Mir Farhat
Just like other constituencies in south Kashmir, Rajpora too cries for improvement in basic facilities like health, education, road connectivity and electricity.
The constituency that is represented by People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Syed Bashir Ahmad, which is known for being home to the famous poet Mehjoor has nothing to boost on development except the poet’s name.
Mitrigam, the birthplace of Mehjoor, has dilapidated roads, which have been macadamized 10 years ago as per the residents.
Residents said lanes and bylanes inside the village are in shambles and have never been metalled by the authorities.
A few kilometers before Mitrigam lies Murran, one of the largest villages in Pulwama district. The village was identified to be developed as ‘Model Village’ in PDP-Congress Coalition Government in 2002.
The residents said the village lacks key facilities like rural information centre, community hall and shopping complex while solar lights are defunct.
They said the development of the villages has suffered due to the political divide between the ruling National Conference and the Opposition People’s Democratic Party.
Residents of the village blame the rift between the mainstream political parties for the ‘mess’ in Murran with many blaming the public representatives of using public interest issues for their political gains.
Locals allege that both National Conference and People’s Democratic Party local leaders exploit them.
Another village in the constituency Rohmoo also lacks basic amenities like macadamized roads, clean, filtered water, and most importantly a bridge that connects about 14 villages including Rohmoo with Pulwama town.
“The bridge constructed over Romshi stream some 50 years ago has caved in the middle. It is dangerous for a passenger vehicle or any vehicle to cross it,” said Gazi Khursheed, a resident.
Khursheed said the inhabitants of the villages went time and again to the legislator for repairing the bridge, but to no avail.
The inhabitants also face water scarcity, particularly drinking water. A water supply scheme was started eight years ago, but is yet to be completed.
From Pulwama town and before Rajpora, the road enters Bellow village, which too was to be developed as ‘Model Village’ and has been shown as ‘completed’ by the Government.
A local Bashir Ahmad Bhat says the foundation stone for the development of Bellow was laid by then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed more than eight years back but the work on the mandatory children’s park, playground, rural information centre and shopping complex is yet to be started.
“Few solar lights which were installed have never been functional. Even the batteries of most of the lights have been stolen,” Bhat rued.
Bhat showed me the drains constructed few years ago and today they have crumbled. And the concrete has choked the drains. The lawn of the common facilitation centre, which is closed since it was built, is filled with cow dung.
“The condition of our village is worse than any other backward village in the State and our MLA claims to have completed developmental work in the village,” Bhat said.
Another elderly resident accompanying Bhat said when the Government announced that Bellow will be developed as a ‘Model Village’ “we thought our life will change for good. But we were wrong. The school which they had promised to renovate is lying in a dilapidated state and the primary health centre is still a dream.”
Government schools in Rajpora constituency lack basic facilities. The buildings are in shabby conditions, playing fields are almost absent, toilets are a distant dream while as laboratories and libraries are found nowhere.
Residents expressed resentment over the performance of their legislator in sanctioning development activities.
“Inefficiency of our representative is the root cause of our overall problems and lack of basic amenities,” said a youth, Imtiyaz Ahmad Shah.
Travelling to the other villages of the constituency like Mirgund, Zagigam, Kachipora, Drubgam, Tujan, Qamrazpora, Nikas, Haal, Tahab, Nayer, Neloora, Tengpona residents narrate similar stories of lack of filtered drinking water, electricity outages, shabby lanes and bylanes.
The link road between Rajpora and Nikas is partially macadamized and bears huge potholes.
Another major road that connects the area to Pakherpora in Budgam district lies in complete shambles and reflects official apathy.
Healthcare facilities in the constituency also have been a dream to the people, with primary health centers lacking staff or infrastructure. Rohmoo village’s PHC has only a single BUMS doctor and lacks facilities like x-ray, lab machines.
Far off hilly villages like Abhama, Achgoza and Sangerwani although have a narrow, macadamized road from Rajpora, yet the inner link roads look like ancient, traditional mountain routes. Lanes, bylanes in the three remote villages are completely dilapidated and have never been concretized.
Residents complained about lack of ration supply like rice, flour. “Since we are living on hills and no rice is sown in hilly terrain the Government should increase the supply of ration including rice,” said Ashiq Hussain.
This hilly terrain which has a population of about 20,000 people faces major crisis in health sector.
The area has a single ‘primary health centre in Sangarwani and an allopathic dispensay in Abhama. But these exist as health centers in name only, and have no facilities available.
The dispensary in Abhama is functioning from a damaged, rented building and shockingly the authorities have renamed it as ‘New Type Primary Health Centre’. It has no doctor, no nurse; only a pharmacist and two health workers are posted there. Residents said the pharmacist is very irregular and comes few days in a month that too for few hours in a day.
Although an ambulance has been allotted to the village, yet it has not ferried patients from the last two years as no driver has been appointed to drive it. The ambulance vehicle itself needs repairing as it has corroded being defunct.
In Sangerwani village, the PHC functions from a building which is more like a cow shed, and stinks when one enters into it. The shabby building that houses the dental surgeon, his few equipment, an NRHM doctor, needs immediate relocation.
The center has no permanent staff except the dental surgeon, even not a sweeper.
The miniscule staff posted here said they have to clean the rooms themselves, which is embarrassing for them. It has no space for dumping medical waste.
Travelling back from these hilly villages into main town of Rajpora, shopkeepers complained of the lack of drainage facilities in the town, street lights, and electricity.
“Water supply line that passes through the town is damaged and the leaked water submerges the whole market. We complained to the MLA about this and other amenities, but he neglected us. He said we don’t vote for him so he could not solve our problems,” said Abid Hussian, a resident.
People’s Democratic Party member and Member Legislative Assembly Rajpora, Syed Bashir blamed the Government for “neglecting” his constituency and said that all the developmental projects he had taken up during their Government in 2002- 2008 were not approved by the present National Conference-Congress Government.
The legislator said he had upgraded PHC to sub district hospital in Rajpora and created 36 new posts there. “Neither the building has been completed so far not the posts filled. I fought for three years to allot doctor to PHC Sangrama, and now fortunately two doctors have been posted who have not joined yet,” he said.
Bashir claimed he has allotted 38 water supply schemes in the last 12 years in which he represented the constituency, but alleged no single scheme has been completed by the present Government and said unfiltered water being supplied to the people is “mistake” of the Government.
Bashir said that from his Constituency Development Fund (CDF) he has fenced most of the graveyards in scores of villages.
He said some link roads are dilapidated but he has metalled most of them. He claimed he allotted at least 40 middle schools, 70 primary schools, constructed high schools through RMSA scheme and upgraded seven high schools to higher secondary in the last 12 years.
“Lot of works are pending, and I gave my blood for my constituency but this Government did nothing in my constituency. It is doing excesses with me,” he alleged.
Syed Bashir Ahmad of the PDP who represents this constituency defeated Ghulam Mohidin Mir of NC by a margin of around 100 votes. Bashir polled 10177 votes and Mir 9230.
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