Nishikant Khajuria
Gulabgarh-Mahore constituency, one of the three Assembly segments in newly carved Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir State appears to be the victim of Government’s apathy and inefficiency of local representative as people of this far flung area are suffering on account of lack of basic amenities and facilities like health, water, power, education and road connectivity etc.
An extensive survey of this constituency by the Excelsior team revealed almost negligible development on the ground and ill-planned execution of the various Government schemes, which have least benefited the common masses but favourites of political leaders, including the MLA, who is representing this constituency for the third consecutive term since 1996.
Extremely bad condition of roads and poor connectivity is visible throughout the constituency , which is spread from village Dadda adjoining Palsu Nallah to Gulabgarh and Chasna to Saldhar areas of this hilly terrain where spotting of even a small stretch of good conditioned road is a rare object.
Right from Darmari, a bumpy ride welcomes you as the main road linking Mahore town is still under construction while due to the wrong planning and unprecedented delay in execution of works, people in the far flung areas have to walk long distances to reach their destinations. All the newly carved link roads under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) have not been developed after earth cutting work.
According to Mohd Shafi, Sarpanch of Bathoi-B, condition of roads under PMGSY is very bad as no metalling and blacktopping has been done while work on a number of roads has been left midway for the reasons best known to the executing agency and the concerned contractor.
“Condition is worse in Gulabgarh where no road link is safe for motor traveling and we have no alternative other than to walk the distance for reach our destinations,” said Nazir Ahmed of Deval.
Condition of health services in the constituency can be gauged from the fact that in entire Mahore block 28 out of 29 sanctioned posts of Assistant Surgeon are lying vacant while maximum Health institutions are being run by Medical Assistants or Nursing Orderlies (NOs). Further, for the population of more than 1.5 lakh in Mahore block, only one Ambulance has been provided by the Government for emergency services.
Deaths of pregnant women due to no medical aid are shockingly a routine feature in Mahore Sub-division where there is no Gynecologist. In case of emergency, there is no option but to refer the patients to District Hospital Reasi and the bumpy ride on extremely bad conditioned road guarantees deterioration of condition of the pregnant women and various times death of the lady.
Despite being declared Sub-District Hospital in 2008, there is only one Assistant Doctor posted in Mahore hospital against the sanctioned posts of five Assistant Surgeons. Besides, there is one ISM doctor under NRHM against the 7 sanctioned posts while in the absence of Clerical staff, a Basic Health Worker is performing the job of Clerk in this hospital.
According to Rashpal Singh, Block Medical Officer Mahore, there are total 45 Health Institutions in the block, which include one Sub-District Hospital at Mahore Town, 5 Primary Health Centres ( one each at Arnas, Darmari, Gota, Bagga-Dass and Banna), six New Type PHCs (one each at Thuroo, Buddhan, Lar, Deval, Barmat Kot and Tulli) and 33 Sub-Centres.
While extremely poor condition of health services in Mahore block is general grievance of everyone in the constituency, people of the area are particularly concerned and disturbed over increased number of deaths of pregnant ladies due to no medical aid. “During the last few days, two cases of death of pregnant women have taken place at Sub-District Hospital Mahore ,” informed Daljit Singh of village Chajroo.
Since the new building of Sub-District Hospital is still under construction for the last five years, the post of Gynecologist here was abolished owing to no theatre room for the deliveries. Further, due to delay in completion of the new building of Sub-District Hospital, six posts of MD in Orthopedics, Anesthesia etc are lying vacant.
In respect of education also, the scenario is worst as some teachers supported by their political godfathers in the constituency were ruling the roost and spoiling the atmosphere in educational institutions.
The situation can be gauged from the fact that accused teachers at Higher Secondary School Chajroo who were caught red handed by the administration while leaking question papers and writing answer scripts of the students in lieu of money, are still continuing in the same school without any punishment.
The same teacher was earlier involved in a molestation case but no action was taken against the accused due to political pressures while a number of parents stopped sending their girls to the school following the incident, said a local of Chajroo on the condition of anonymity.
Literacy rate in the constituency is very poor and a number of those qualifying the primary or middle standard are not better than the illiterates, said a senior Police officer while narrating an instance when a matriculate youth approached him for some job and submitted an application for the same without putting his signature but thumb impression.
More than 50 percent population of the area is still deprived of drinking water facility and power supply while inadequate ration supply by the CAPD is another grievance of the people here.
When contacted, former Minister and National Conference MLA Abdul Gani Malik, who has been representing this constituency for the last 18 years, claimed that he had done a lot of developmental works in the area.
“Around three dozen link roads have been developed in the constituency during the last one decade while on my initiative Anas Hydro Electric Project of 45 MW was set up recently besides Government Degree College was also opened,” he said.
Regarding poor condition of roads, particularly those under PMGSY, the MLA admitted that despite inviting tenders, no contractor was coming forward for the metalling and black topping works under second phase. This is the reason that the tenders for new roads under PMGSY are being invited for combined work of earth cutting, metalling and blacktopping, he explained.
Without citing any specific reason behind much delay in the completion of Sub-District Hospital building, Malik said that filling up of Assistant Surgeons’ posts was not possible due to non-availability of local MBBS doctors but their shortage has been considerably compensated by NRHM doctors.
Notwithstanding a strong resentment among locals over poor road conditions and lack of basic amenities in the area, the Excelsior team in nutshell observed that the ethnic divide among the people irrespective of political affiliation was dominating other issues thus explaining to some extent the results of previous three Assembly elections on this seat.
In Gulabgarh-Mahore Assembly constituency, there are total 68 thousands voters, who comprise 32 thousand Kashmiri Muslims, 20 thousand Gujjars and 16 thousand Hindus.
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