Excelsior Correspondent
Udhampur, June 18: Thousands of residents from three panchayats in Udhampur overcome death everyday for the sake of earning livelihood as they cross over Tawi river in absence of foot bridge. Even as 10 most unfortunate humans could not cross through and lost their precious lives in the last five years, arrogant and careless ministers are in deep slumber without fearing that few more may lose their lives in the coming monsoon season as ever.
More than 30 thousand villagers of newly created Sewna Block which includes Charat, Sewna ,Satyalta Panchayats besides hilly areas of Dhar Gaddian and Jugdhar do not have any road connectivity, neither from Udhampur nor from Chenani. Villagers as well as students are forced to cross tawi river every day as they are left with no alternative from Toldi nallah while proceeding for earning of livelihood and continuing their studies.
10 persons died just in the last five years whereas more than hundred might have lost their lives in the past 68 years after independence while crossing the river. What is more worrisome is that more than hundred families have migrated to Udhampur and Jammu as terror of losing a loved one any day prevails at large in the entire region.
“As hundreds of students of our school are forced to cross Tawi river with heavy bags and shoes on their heads, their mothers are worried and keep praying till they return back home. Students including girls do this exercise twice a day as ours is the only high school Samroli in the area and is located on the other side of the river. We feel helpless but cannot do any thing till a foot bridge is constructed near Toldi nallah”, said a teacher of Samroli high school requesting anonymity. Hundreds of other students also cross the river and proceed towards Udhampur for higher studies in 11th ,12th and college classes, he added.
“Ten persons have lost their lives in the last five years during my tenure as Sarpanch but more than hundred have died here since independence. Dead bodies of Ishwar Dass son of Gulab Singh resident of Charat and Romal Singh son of Nasib Singh resident of Dhar Gaddian could never be recovered. In the past ten years, hundred families have migrated with the wish to secure the lives and future of their children from our area. Just verbal commitments for securing votes were given by Minister and MLAs in the past many decades but nothing has changed on ground. Every time when monsoon arrives, it is feared that someone will die as it comes true every time.”, said Sham Lal Samotra Sarpanch Charat panchayat . Bainth is one village in our Panchayat from where seven persons from three families including three sons of Suraj Singh , two sons of Lal Chand and two sons of Parkash Singh have died because of drowning just in the past six years and forty families have migrated from this village since then, he added.
” Tawi river has virtually swallowed our entire family as no male member is alive any more . My husband Kuldeep Singh died while crossing the river in 2009 whereas his brothers Rash Paul and Rasal Singh died thereafter. My father-in-law went into trauma and left for heavenly abode last year. We have stopped sending our three children to school as they have completed eight class studies here and we don’t want to lose any one of them.”, said Rekha Devi wife of Kuldeep Singh resident of Bainth in Charat Panchayat. For God sake, construct at least a foot bridge at the earliest so that minor children of other families do not have lose their fathers any more, she insisted.
” I still remember that the demand for a foot bridge was placed before the then minister late Yash Paul Khajuria in 1980’s and since then this most important work could not be matured and residents are till date left with no option but to cross the mighty Tawi.”, said Dina Nath retired ACR.
” 17 year old daughter of my brother Ishwar Dass died as she could not be timely shifted to district hospital in the August , 2014 . Many other pregnant women and ailing children die enroute as it takes a day or even more some times to reach the doctors”, said Suram Chand resident of Charat Panchayat.
” Sewna has become a block headquarter on papers but due to absence of road connectivity no officer or even employee bothers to be physically present and locals suffer. We have held demonstrations at Deputy Commissioner office, Udhampur many a times but all in vain”, said Shamsher Singh panch of Satyalta panchayat.
” A project for the construction of steel girder bridge over the Tawi river near Toldi nallah has been sanctioned for an amount of 4.75 crores. Tenders have been floated and three years is the time frame kept for its completion as this project is funded by NABARD. We are hopeful that the work will start soon”, said Rajesh Gupta Executive Engineer, PWD (R&B) department Udhampur.
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