One has to wonder: with an annual state budget of around Rs. 20,000 crores, why do villages like Patwari never see any progress?
In “Khush-hal” Kashmir, Handwara village lacks all facilities
Ashiq Hussain (Kashmir Images)
Handwara: While development and prosperity have become buzz words of officialdom here, at least 1800 souls inhabiting Patwari village, merely ten kilometers from Handwara township are deprived of basic amenities of life. The village has no road; no pure drinking water and no electricity.
As if this was not enough, the poor village is also debarred of a health center as well and the only educational institution -a primary school – is housed in two rooms. Feeling ignored on part of authorities, the village people allege that the official apathy has rendered their lives miserable and that in this hi-tech world, they were living a nomadic life.
The disgruntled villagers maintain that in the recent past, two sick persons Mohammed Sultan Bhat and Abdul Gani Sheikh died as they couldn’t reach Handwara hospital well in time. Mohammad Sultan had fallen down from a tree and according to locals due to non-availability of road; they carried him on shoulders (on Charpai) but he succumbed to injuries in the half way en-route to hospital. The locals maintain that seriously ailing, Abdul Gani also died as they failed to rush him to the hospital in time. It is to mention that in absence of a health center in the area, the locals have to avail even the first aid facilities from district hospital Handwara. And due to non-availability of road facility, the ailing people suffer the most.
The problems of poor villagers do not end here. There is no water supply facility and the women folk have to walk miles to fetch water from Nallah Kehmil. And when it downpours, the locals are forced to consume contaminated water from open Nallah, which is the only source of water in the area. “Our women leave homes early to fetch water and it takes them hours to get a bucket of water. The only source of water is Nallah Kehmil and when it rains, the locals are forced to consume muddy waters from the Nallah,” said Mohammad Dilawar, a local.
The village is also debarred of electricity facility since years. The electric lines lying suspended on poplar and other trees for last many years are being used by locals for drying up clothes. The residents still illuminate their houses by kerosene run chimneys and candles. “It was in 1996 that PDD tied lines not on electric poles but on trees. However, it proved to be an exercise in deception as village has never seen electricity till date,” said another local, adding, the residents even made many representations to the executive engineer, PDD Handwara for the facility but to no avail.
When asked for his comments, DC Kupwara, Khan Isfandyar Kachoo told Kashmir Images that he has already received complaints from the village people and he will pay a visit to the village to see for himself what could be done.“I will pay a visit to the village soon and also a meeting with Tehsildar and other officers will be held to actually explore the possibilities to establish a road connectivity to the village. The village was part of Magam and later has become a separate village and that is why it is not in the eyes of administration,” Kachoo said.