Over 12 km from capital city Sgr, Bangund lacks basic amenities
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Dec 4: Despite being at a distance of over 12 kilometers from Capital city of Srinagar the inhabitants of various villages in Panchayat Halqa Hanipora in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district continue to face official apathy for years together. The problems of the Hanipora Panchayat comprising of five hamlets and seven Panchayat wards with a population of over 10,000 souls are crying hoarse as successive Governments failed to provide basic amenities of life to them.
The main problem faced by the people in the Hanipora Panchayat is the failure of the Government to complete Rs 2.8 crore Nihama Bangund Irrigation Scheme which has been abandoned since 2017 by the Department. Though people of the area had high hopes that after its construction the scheme will bring happiness on the faces of the farmers of villages of Lolipora, Bangund , Hanipora, Wanpora and Parigam as it will cater to irrigation of 1600 kanals of land in the area, the same have dashed to ground after the Department abandoned it in 2017.
According to the villagers the water in the irrigation canal was to be lifted from Marwal Lift Irrigation Scheme to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 288 lakh. The people gave land free of cost with the hope that they will get water to irrigate their land. The Department started work and laid pipes up to 1000 meters but later abandoned the same after the R&B Department did not allow further laying of pipes along the service road and demanded depositing of over Rs nine lakh for reconstruction of damaged road which the Irrigation Department failed to do.
However the Executive Engineer of the Pampore Irrigation Division, said that the work was abandoned due to shortage of funds. He said over Rs 73 lakh were spent on the scheme and remaining funds were not allocated to the Department since 2017 due to which the work was abandoned. He however expressed the hope that after the release of funds the work will be resumed on the water supply scheme.
Regarding the demand of R&B Department for depositing of over nine lakh rupees for reconstruction of road after laying the pipes the Executive Engineer Irrigation Division Pampore, Nisar Ahmed Shah said that this is not any impediment in completion of the scheme and the issue will be settled with the Department.
He said the scheme was to be completed under CM commitment but after the Government fell it was abandoned.
The problems of the people do not end here and what can be more pitiable situation in the area that the villagers of Bangund having a population of over 2000 souls are facing acute scarcity of drinking water for a pretty long time and it aggravated during last three months now. The authorities at the helm of affairs have failed to pay attention to the same. The water scarcity has taken such an alarming situation in the area that people some times even miss their routine work to fetch the water from adjoining villages of Parigam which is at a distance of five kilometers.
The villagers said that the pipes laid by PHE Department over 25 years back in the area are rusted and damaged, with the result, the water does not flow from them as it gets leaked in the way. The people said neither the successive elected Governments and public representatives of the area paid any attention to solve the problem nor the promises made by the authorities during first phase of B2V programme in July this year in this regard were fulfilled.
The villagers said that they even purchase the water from tractors to cater to their needs as the Government is not paying any attention to settle the problem.
However Chief Engineer PHE Kashmir Abdul Wahid told Excelsior that such an issue has never been brought in his notice by the people of the area. He said the Government has launched many water supply schemes in the Valley to supply safe drinking water to the people. He however said that he will visit the area to ascertain the problem and issue on the spot orders for its redressal.
The people even face erratic power supply as the poles laid in the area over decades back get damaged often due to snow fall and hailstorm but the authorities fail to pay attention to the same.
Khan said that B2 Village was a vibrant programme of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi for the development of rural India but we doubt that with this attitude the officers at the helm of affairs will allow its success in Kashmir Valley.
Another problem which needed the attention of the authorities is a local drainage nallah which is filled with filth and muck, with the result, the rain water overflows its banks and on adjoining road.
The Wanpora to Chapergund Kakpora Railway Station link road is in dilapidated condition as the PWD has abandoned the macadamization work half way with the result the people visiting the Railway Station are facing problems.
Even the poor people in various villages of Halqa Panchayat Hanipora suffering from fatal diseases have not been provided Golden cards or any support under PM’s much talked about Ayushman Bharat Scheme. Some patients were consumed by the chronic diseases and they could not get any benefit under the scheme for treatment said Ghulam Qadir who is himself suffering from a chronic disease while his wife died of spinal chord cancer two years back but the family was not issued the Golden card.
Rattan Lal Pandita, Sarpanch Hanipora Panchayat said he too raised these issues in B2V programme with authorities and stressed their settlement on priority basis in view of the hardships being faced by the people. The authorities need to pay immediate attention towards these issues and survey needs to be done in the area to provide Golden cards to people suffering from chronic ailments.
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