Shiv Kumar Padha
Bani is one of the beautiful places in the State but unfortunately the most backward due to the non-connectivity the small hamlets are isolated from each other and there exists no means which could facilitate their communication with each other in the time of emergency. The economic life of the natives of Bani is very deplorable. They didn’t have any source of income except the little produce of maize crop hardly sufficient for feeding their families for few months in a year. Due to the non-productivity of the cereals, vegetables and lack of content of vitamins and minerals in their meals they suffer from malnutrition and fall prey to some decaying and fatal diseases which shorten the longevity of their lives. There is no provision of medical assistance in the whole of Bani area which results into the loss of valuable human lives every year. The mortality rate especially of children and that of the women is highest as compared to other parts of the state.
The majority of the people (poor) live in dingy and un-hygienic houses where, due to the scarcity of accommodation, they are compelled to share their thatch roofed houses with the cattle. The main occupation of the natives is rearing of the cattle and farming which yields no cash returns and as a result of which the youth of the area work as porters in the markets of other states. The natives of Bani have always become prey of both, the clever rich persons and the shrewd local as well as non-local politicians.
The whole Bani-Niabat is bestowed with natural beauty by the bountiful nature. Bani has got a unique place among the tourist places in the Jammu region. The tall deodar trees, snow clad mountain peaks, brooks, meadows, pastures, water falls and beautiful valleys make it attractive for the tourists. The 66 percent of total land area of Bani is spread over forest. Inspite of the enormous forest and mineral wealth, the natives of Bani are living a miserable life due to the negligence of the Government. The area under cultivation is only eight percent of the land in the whole Bani. The farmers are still harboring on the traditional farming instead of adapting the new and scientific means of cultivation with the result they do not get the produce according to their toil and hard work. The environment of Bani is conducive for horticulture.
In order to give fillip to the horticulture in the illaqa, the State Government opened horticulture centers in Bani but it did not come upto the expectations of the fruit growers. The apples of Bani, due to their low quality, can’t compete with those grown in Kashmir. The apple crop in Kashmir gets VIP treatment in the hands of Kashmir Government. The horticulture and the pesticide departments of the State are fully engrossed in process of producing apples worth exporting quality to the outerworld whereas the Bani apples get step motherly treatment and do not get buyers beyond the local markets of Basohli, Billawar and Mahanpur. Eighty percent of the crop is spoiled due to the disease before its harvesting. The climate of Bani is very suitable for sericulture but there is no encouragement of the farmers who rear the silk worms at their homes. The animal husbandry is linked with agriculture. The future of this vocation is very bleak because the meadows and pastures are shrinking due to the expansion of population and the fulfillment of their requirements. Owing to the poor connectivity and lack of poor medical facilities, it becomes difficult to shift the patients to Bani head quarter the only place where they can get treatment. Many of the patients breathe their last during the shifting process. The branches of the post offices functioning in the area are ill equipped with men and material. The telecommunication department opened one satellite exchange but that too has proved a total failure as it is not catering to the requirements of the natives to the desirable extent.
The natives of Bani are quite hopeful that the completion of the Basohli-Bani, Bhaderwah road under the GREF will usher in an era of prosperity and unprecedented development in the area and will put to an end all the hardships they have been going through since long. No doubt the State Government has initiated many developmental projects for the eradication of poverty, unemployment and illiteracy of the natives of Bani, but all the projects are in infancy and are moving at snail’s pace and those which are completed are not yielding the desirable results. For making Bani literate, healthful, economically self-sufficient the State Government will have to restart all the developmental works on the war footing and ensure their completion within the stipulated time so that the actual beneficiaries of the projects are benefitted.
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