Mir Farhat
People in Langate constituency have always been represented by “outsiders” in the Assembly. But in 2008 voters decided to elect Abdul Rashid Sheikh, known as Engineer Rashid, so that their “own son” represents them and develops the remote, hilly area. However, almost after over five years, inhabitants of the constituency are angry with the MLA for not delivering what he had promised to them.
The Independent candidate, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, defeated his rival Mohammad Sultan Panditpuri of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by a margin of 200 votes in 2008 elections. Sheikh polled 7964 votes and Panditpuri 7, 764.
Residents of Lash, which is Rashid’s own village, said the only thing that has changed in the last years is that “security forces does not beat us now, they don’t harass us”.
“There is no dispensary; a middle school exists since Maharjas ruled the State. Development means when health, education facilities improve. But nothing has changed,” Haji Ghulam Mohammad Wani, a resident said. All lanes, by-lanes in the village are dilapidated and have not been concretized in the last five years.
The main road from Kargama to Reshwari that is the connecting 28 villages is in complete shambles except the first five kilometers. The road is being constructed by BEACON and is in complete shambles due to widening process. The work is ongoing from the last three years and the villagers said they have been suffering immense troubles.
“Our children, patients, women have been living a life of hardship from the last five years. We pray our troubles end soon,” Wani said. The villagers said “our son of the soil has disappointed us”.
The roads in other villages are dilapidated and have huge potholes, and the dust billows from their surface even as a two wheeler move over it.
“The whole area along Mawar road looks as if its entire surface is being excavated to discover some marvel,” Wani said in a quirk remark toward the work being done on the road.
The villagers said besides the back-aching journey on the roads, dust has caused respiratory diseases in the area.
Villages like Kargama, Hanga, Batagund, Chentpora, Qalamabad, Shazipora, Yahama, Tulwari, Batpora, Yaroo, Ganapora, Kralgund, Renen, Kutlari, Harvat, Wahipora, Udipora, Walrama, Shahngari, Shanoo, Sohipora, Teerwah, Tulwari, Rawalpora have all dilapidated lanes and by-lanes.
The residents in the villages said despite having Mawar canal nearby they are facing drinking water shortage because of the lack of proper functional water supply schemes. They said those areas which have water supply schemes are unfiltered, unhygienic drinking water as the schemes do not have filtration mechanism in them.
Muneer Ahmad, a young resident of Qalamabad, said their village has seen no development. “We are drinking impure water”, he said. He alleged that those lanes and bylanes have been concretized which belonged to the MLA’s workers.
The only primary health center in Qalamabad is running from three room structure, and the residents said it lacks basic facilities.
In Shanzipora village, residents said they have witnessed no change taking place in their village.
“The power system like LT and HT wires and transformers has been same here since 1984. It has not improved, wires are connected through trees and damaged poles,” said residents.
They said a Unani dispensary exists in the village from the last 30 years, and it has no doctor, even not a building. “It can’t give us even first aid like dressing a wound or a pill for headache,” they said.
“Engineer Rashid has been protesting for others while neglecting those who trusted him and elected him. What has our village achieved from his protests? He should have focused on the development of his constituency than protesting in Srinagar or shouting in Assembly,” said a man, who wished anonymity.
A youth, Altaf Ahmad in Shanzipora, said that their area has seen “some” development taking place. “More schools were built in the last five years. Road connectivity improved than rest of the area. But more needs to be done. Like the dispensary should have been upgraded into a primary health center,” Ahmad said.
In Batagund which was named “Model” village in 2007, the villagers said the lanes and bylanes are in shambles. The link road to Langate is damaged at Batagund and has huge potholes. They villagers said the road has seen no repairing from the last 8 years. They demanded its immediate patchwork.
They villagers said the MLA sanctioned Rs 20 lakh for the sports ground and did fencing of the Masjid.
Mohammad Maqbool Khan of Batagund said the sub centre has not doctor.
Villagers in Shanoo said that a bridge over Mawar canal is being constructed from the last 10 years, and only two culverts have been completed since.
Farmers in the area said the rampant illegal extraction of sand and boulders from the canal has wreaked havoc on agriculture. The water that fed our paddy and vegetable fields has dried due to the increase in its depth, they said, adding, it has also created erosion of banks that protected the farmland from sliding during heavy rain.
Others farmers said the agriculture produce has fallen due to lack of irrigation facilities in the area.
Due to lack of hospital, the villagers said they have to travel to Handwara for minor treatments. “We direly need a hospital,” said a Mehbooba, who travelled all the way to Qalamabad to take her ill daughter to a compounder for an injection.
Inhabitants of other villagers also complained of bad roads, poor drinking water facilities and lack of infrastructure in schools.
Unisoo villagers said they have no drinking water facility.
Women of Unisoo village, who carrying plastic pots to fetch water from a small canal along the Handwar road, said they have been drawing drinking water from the canal all through the year.
“We have never seen tap water in our villages. Carrying water in pots has become a routine now,” said a young woman.
She said in 2007, they heard Government has started laying down the pipes for water supply. “We thought our troubles will be over, but unfortunately we never saw the tap water or a tap,” she said.
The women said Engineer Rashid has dashed their hopes. “We thought our live will change for better. But we had thought wrong. All the politicians are same. They know only one thing: How to lure voters to grab power? Once they achieve it they ignore those who chose them to represent them,” said Anisa, who filled her pot from the canal and move toward her home.
Independent legislator Abdul Rashid Sheikh told Excelsior “there was nothing visible” as development in his constituency before he took over as its representative.
“Langate was always misrepresented and its voters were always exploited by outsiders. When people reposed their faith in me, I represented them with true spirit, treating them as my own people,” Rashid said.
Rashid said that he made security forces and police accountable to people in his area and he remained accessible to people throughout day and night.
He claimed that Langate constituency tops the constituencies in the State in terms of roads macamdamisation and metalling during his tenure.
He said the 15 kilometer road length with a width of about 8 meters from Kralgund to Ashpora was macadamized, and the road connects about 50 villages. Work by BEACON on Mawar road on which most of the villages fall from Kargama to Reshwari is ongoing from the last three years, five kilometers have been macadamised and the remaining 8 kilometers have not been macadamized yet, he said.
“I am satisfied with the progress of the work and hope the road is completed till Naugam before Assembly elections,” he said.
He said Haril to Langate road is fully macadamsied, 14 villages in hilly and remote area Langate on Rajwara road were made motorable with macadamisation and metalling. Besides most of the inner, link roads were macadamized, he said.
For his own village Lash, he said an amount of Rs 4 crore were spent on metalling of road; Langate to Batagund road has been tendered.
He said to improve connectivity at least 9 bridges were built; 3 bridges at Naugam, Kutlari, and another village were constructed. Mankal village, he said, had no bridge connectivity and it would take villagers 3 hours to reach their village, but today it takes them an hour “because of the roads and the bridge that I constructed”.
In health sector, the independent legislator said a sub-district hospital has been completed at Langate and will be functional “very soon”, Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Qalamabad was built and a new ambulance was given to it, two PHCs at Kutlari and Monabal are ready to be inaugrated, Kralgund, Ashpora, Naugam, Unisoo got new PHCs.
“The staff deficiency is not my fault. It is the problem that has to be addressed by the State Government, MLA cannot do anything on it,” he said.
The MLA Langate said that besides roads, his priority was to improve education and its infrastructure. A Degree College and an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) for Langate stand approved, he said.
“Number of new building for upgrading primary schools to middle, middle to high and high to higher schools were built after I became the representative of the people, he said, adding, “what funds other constituencies got on education my constituency also got that amount”. In addition, about 700 students were sent to outside state on scholarships.
Rashid said an auditorium with 1300 hundred seating capacity is being constructed at Hanga, 18 guest huts were built for the stay of tourists and State guests.
He said some areas in Langate had never seen electricity, and he constructed power receiving station in Ganapora, capacity of Qalamabad receiving station was doubled from 3.5 MW to 7 MW, a 10 MW mini hydro electric power plant will be constructed at Naugam. “This will be major achievement,” he said, adding a receiving station has been approved for upper Qaziabad.
He said two stadia, one each in Mawar Balla, Kachloo were constructed; fencing of many graveyards and shrines was done. He said a number of water supply schemes such as one in Palpora, which is being constructed, Mawar scheme was built for providing drinking water to the area. Flood control has been excellent the area, he said.
To boost tourism, he said Leepa and Bangus Valley were opened for people and development work is ongoing in these two tourist spots.
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