Nishikant Khajuria
UDHAMPUR: Udhampur Assembly constituency continued to face numerous problems such as bad condition of several roads, scarcity of drinking water, inadequate health as well as education facilities in rural areas and traffic chaos in the town even as Pawan Gupta, who represented this segment as MLA since 2014 Assembly polls, claims to have launched numerous developmental activities in every sphere leaving no stone unturned to mitigate problems of the populace.
Even after more than 70 years since Independence and abundance of natural streams (Bowlies) in the area, there is scarcity of drinking water in maximum parts of the constituency. In Udham-pur town and adjoining areas, people are not only facing the water scarcity but also forced to drink contaminated water as garbage dumping point is situated near the source at Tawi in Jakhani from where the water is supplied.
No serious efforts were apparently made by the local representative to affectively take up the issue at appropriate forum for long term strategy to deal with the issue while the concerned department is continuing with its piecemeal approach. In the areas like Jaganu, Ser, Mararh etc, water supply is made after weeks, said Sham Lal, a local.
Some remote areas of the constituency like village Dhar Gaddiyan, which is inhibited by hundred percent Scheduled Tribe population, are still deprived of basic facilities of life. Recently a PMGSY road was developed upto Kharkiyan but the remaining area is still without any connectivity.
Panchayat Thanoa and its adjoining four Panchayat halqas comprising several hamlets are linked with mainland only through a tattered foot bridge made of ropes on Tawi river. Despite repeated pleas of the locals to replace it with a solid bridge, there was no action to provide these people a safe link, lamented Bishan Dass, Sarpanch of Thanoa.
Panchari-Landhar road is in shambles since years while Chubu Nallah on this stretch has not been repaired thus causing severe and repeated damage to the road link during every rainy season. Road from Thati to Jig Chowk and Bansa Morh, Chang road, Tirshi-Gandala road are in bad condition and not repaired since years. Ancient Pandav temples at Krimchi and Manwal are still having no road link. As per Madan Lal Khajuria of Ritti, work on Kothi Link road was still pending even as earth cutting was done in 2004.
Because of poor connectivity in the interiors, all schools other than those situated on the roadside, are having the staff shortage. Maximum such schools have less than fifty percent teaching staff and are being run by Rehbar-e-Talim teachers. Bali Landar Karch Middle School has only two rooms and two teachers while almost similar is the situation at other schools in remote areas, said Rajesh Dutta.
As far as health facilities are concerned, scenario is also very disappointing as f maximum health centres in the rural areas are being run by Nursing Orderlies or Pharmacists. The situation can be gauged from the fact that at District Hospital Udhampur, around 48 posts of doctors and Para-medical staff are lying vacant. Due to absence of adequate strength of doctors and technicians, a number of machines are lying unused while the District Hospital has virtually attained the nomenclature of `referral hospital’.
Frequent vehicular chaos in the Udhampur town because of no progress on new bus stand and haphazard parking of vehicles everywhere speak about non seriousness with regard to tackling this severe problem being faced by people of the area. In the town, there are four temporary bus stands and mini bus stands, which are at MH Chowk (for video coach buses), in front of Vishwakarma temple (for Doda and Kishtwar buses) and another at Slathia Chowk near Deputy Commissioner’s Office. Because of these temporary bus stands, the entire town remains jammed with vehicular mess.
Further, there was no progress on developing a ware house, Transport Nagar and Mini Secretariat in Udhampur as the MLA (Ex) didn’t take any initiative on these vital projects for developing the town on modern lines, alleged Bikram Singh Slathia, a Councilor of Udhampur Municipal Council and social activist. Udhampur stadium is still incomplete notwithstanding allocation of funds on the disposal of then MLA, who failed to spend the money despite many reminders from J&K Sports Council and R&B, he further alleged. Because of unprecedented delay in completion of the project, only 90 kanals of land, out of 108 kanals earmarked for the stadium, is available now as 18 kanals has been encroached upon while multipurpose hall is also lying closed.
Information provided by the office of Deputy Commissioner Udhampur, in response to an RTI application, reveals that Pawan Gupta spent only meager amount of his Constituency Development Funds in three years of his tenure as MLA while the balance amount was lying unspent till collapse of the PDP-BJP Government.
However, Pawan Gupta claimed that he utilized full amount of Rs 9 crores earmarked during last three years under Constituency Development Fund. “I predominantly created assets like community halls, buildings, parks, hand pumps, roads, GI Pipes, electric poles, Ambulance, college bus etc, out of my CDF,” he said and explained that delay in release of CDF was caused by the office of Deputy Commissioner, which did not act timely on his recommending letters.
A number of people like Ranbir Singh, a shopkeeper at Ritti; Raju and Rama Shah of Udhampur town expressed their satisfaction with the performance of Pawan Gupta as MLA. Admitting that certain problems like water scarcity were yet to be fully overcome, they opined that Pawan Gupta has been constantly in touch with the general masses of his constituency and this quality makes him still popular among people.
Pawan Gupta told the Excelsior that he initiated various developmental works, a number of which have been completed and several others were under progress. “Under Public Works Sector, I got sanctioned blacktopping of 140 Kms of roads worth Rs 42 crores and construction of 9 roads amounting to Rs 40.00 crores under NABARD assistance, which includes construction of road from Jakhani to Lower Bali via Sharda Mata Mandir, Bali Nallah to High School Bali, construction of Narore to Kainthgali road, upgradation of Jib Thathi Road, Chak Sunari Road, Gandala to Bali Road etc, besides 10 bridges worth Rs 27.00 crores. Under PMGSY various roads costing Rs 172.81 crores, 9 bridges costing Rs 9.74 crores, which include, 3 Motorablebridges on Dabreh-Kred Road, Mansar to Soarp Road, MI Room to Meghani Road, Kalta to Dubli road, Kainthgali to Malti Road etc were got sanctioned. Five roads costing Rs 19.81 crores were got sanctioned under languishing projects, he added.
Under PHE Sector, he claimed to have got sanctioned various new Water Schemes worth Rs 28.75 crores and said that approval of three new Schemes worth Rs 21.69 crore is in pipeline. Besides, he added, seven languishing schemes including WSS Darsoo, WSS Jaganoo, WSS Rathain, WSS Ritti Barta etc worth Rs 17 crores have been got sanctioned and three already sanctioned schemes, awaiting take-off, viz WSS Kambal Danga, Garhi Rehmbal and WSS Pakhlai-Ossu-Laddan got started. In order to augment water supply, new Machinery worth Rs 2.50 crores and more than 100 Hand Pumps were got sanctioned. Besides, various schemes worth more than Rs 100 crores are in pipeline.
For giving major thrust on improvement and upgradation of electric infrastructure in the constituency, Mr Gupta said he got sanctioned overhauling of main Grid Station at Udhampur with an estimated cost of Rs 14.50 crores and more than 100 Stations were got upgraded.
Pawan Gupta said he gave special attention to improve the Education Sector by getting introduced 18 and 12 new streams in Government PG College and Govt Women Degree College Udhampur, respectively. Besides, 18 new rooms valuing Rs 10 crores were got sanctioned in Women Degree College Udhampur and a new Degree College at Neeli Nallah was also got approved. “I also got upgraded HS Chak and Battalballian to the level of HSS and MS Kansal and Badali to the level of HS,” he added.
Under Health Sector, Mr Gupta said he got sanctioned posts in super specialities viz Gastroenterology & Cardiology and started Audiometry, Dialysis, Computerised Radiography and Emergency CCU in District Hospital Udhampur.
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