Excelsior Correspondent
MENDHAR, Nov 17: Inhabited by a population of around three thousand souls, people of Balakote in Poonch district have been living a life of miseries.
According to the residents, most of the villages there have no electricity, no drinking water facility and proper road connectivity.
Alleging the district administration’s indifferent approach towards the villages, which according to them, has resulted in non-development of the area, the locals said, “They (authorities) have failed on every front. Because of this step-motherly approach, we are yet to see any development in our village.”
“Amidst technological revolution, with the world progressing on such a brisk pace, we have been deprived of basic necessities. Most of the population of this area still depends on the old type of lighting system where they use small chimneys, lanterns and wood to carry out their household work,” they added.
“In the absence of proper water supply, we literally are being forced to fetch the ‘contaminated’ water from a nearby rivulet. Owing to this chaos, water borne diseases which include diarrhoea, complacencies in abdominal organs, typhoid, and fever have broken out in the area.
Even the local Panchayat Committee members have failed to resolve the issues despite being approached on several occasions, locals alleged.
Similar is the state of road connectivity in the area. “No proper macadamization has been done on the road which connects Balakote to other areas, Zaheer Khan, a local said while adding that the potholes at many places make it difficult for the vehicles and other road users.”
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