Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Oct 29: The construction of road from Kotti in Bhoond also called Sheetal Nagri Jorey and Doley Wali Mata to Daggar in Bani tehsil has become a distant dream for 1.5 lakh inhabitants of this remote and hilly area.
The people of this hilly area craving for road connectivity for years together are waiting for the day when their dream will come true as no concrete steps were taken by the successive governments since independence. The people are still dependent on the traditional bridal path and have no more option to walk miles to reach their destination in tough terrain of this hilly belt in 21st century when the urban areas have double lane and four lanes roads to run their high speed vehicles.
A big portion of Bani tehsil from Kotti in Bhoond area now Sheetal Nagri to Jorey and , Doley Wali Mata , Banjal, Kashid, Kotti Chadyar , Challa , Daman connecting to Daggar have no road connectivity despite the thick population residing in this area. The people have no other option except to walk on the tough terrain on foot. Even the school children and women also walk miles daily in tough weather conditions.
The rainy season and Winter adds to the woes of poor people as they have to tread miles together in hostile weather conditions. The patients suffer a lot in such conditions and they are always on the mercy of God for their survival because they have no proper Medicare facilities as the Bani Hospital is 25 kilometer away and they have to go on foot.
In 1975 Govt. decide to construct a road from Sheetal Nagri to Bani via Banjal connecting to secluded villages. But the only 7 km road from Sheetal Nagri to Kote was constructed, and the remaining project was abandoned reason better known to Government.
Another road project from Siarra to Challa upto 8 km connecting to Banjal and Joran Wali Mata was also started seven years earlier. But only the earth work upto one Km stretch was completed and the fate of this road hangs in balance. The people are fed up with the callousness of the Government which never paid any attention for road connectivity in this belt said Sarpanch Guddu Ram.
He said “it seems we are not the part of a democratic country and we are not so far independent and passing the life like slaves’’. The development of this area has been put behind years due to lack of road connectivity.
This area has a great potential of religious tourism and horticulture as nearly two lakh devotees visit the Mata Joran Wali and Mata Dolan Wali annually by foot. The area has attractive natural beauty , lush green field and pollution free atmosphere, foggy Valley , snow bound hills comparing the neighboring State Himachal Pradesh’s famous tourist resort Dalhousie.
Sarpanch Desh Raj and Adish Sondhi, President Joran Mata Welfare Committee said that unfortunately this area is widely ignored by Govt. and every legislature, MP and Minister showed an ignoring attitude towards this attractive area. Despite its scenic beauty and potential for pilgrimage tourism there is no mark of any development. Even the Tourism Department and Lakhanpur Sarthal Development Authority did not bother to frame the development structure, huts , residential sarais or any view point . The visitors are forced to sleep in open air in odd weather conditions and some of them would like to return back in day light instead to stay for more time. The power crises is another problem due to which visitors hesitate to come this area.
Although the appropriate road connectivity project can change the life line and life styles of the thick population on this areas, mass scale road development can attract larger tourist to explore the area on tourist road map. The horticulture and agriculture production can enhance and boost the economic status of poor people of this abandon area.
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