Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 21: The residents of the popular tourist resort of Pahalgam in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district are in a pitiable state because they are unable to make repairs to existing homes or build new ones due to the general restriction on construction and maintenance.
In response to public interest litigation (PIL), the High Court in Pahalgam fully banned the construction and upkeep of both commercial and residential structures in 2010 and mandated the creation of a new master plan after determining the previous one to be inadequate.
The locals, however, alleged that while the rich hoteliers were free to carry out construction, the ban was being enforced on the poor residents. They requested the authorities to grant them permission to do the required home repairs so they could prevent any unforeseen incidents.
“No clearance is allowed for the underprivileged to perform repairs. Family members are jammed together in a small room since there is not enough space for them to live. We have been informed that all permits have been revoked. If we were unable to build our homes on our land, where would we build them? This is our own land, “Tanveera, a woman said.
They said that despite their arduous efforts to save enough money to construct a home for themselves after living in poverty all of their lives, authorities continued to deny them the right to possess a home. “Since the day I was born, we have been unable to build our home. We are four sisters, one of whom is married, yet whenever a visitor stays at our home, we are forced to share one room because we are unable to build another room. The authorities are inflicting this misery on us,” another woman said.
People urge the authorities to come to their rescue and allow them to carry out the essential construction work so that they can live respectable life. The residents demanded that “the Lt. Governor, Manoj Sinha, intervene in our issue and grant us the right to enjoy a dignified life.”
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