Ramban, Aug 17: National Conference leader and District President Ramban, Sajjad Shaheen on Thursday expressed grave concern over dilapidated road conditions and lack of healthcare facilities in far-off areas of the Banihal Assembly Constituency.
During his day-long tour to various villages in the Neel area, Shaheen decried the neglect of the present dispensation due to administrative inertia. He said there is no mention of development in the to-do list of the government in Jammu & Kashmir except photo ops. “The far-flung areas have become a byword of widespread and inescapable poverty, unemployment and development deficit. The present dispensation has made no efforts to alleviate the concerns of the people of J&K as people find themselves in dire straits. Baffled and confused, they do not know where to get their problems redressed,” he said.
Shaheen, according to a statement, visited several villages that include Gagoni, Batoo, Harwari, Zarzri, and Parihinder and during interaction in these villages, the people complained about scarcity of drinking water for several weeks.
The villagers of Gagoni demanded the construction of a footbridge at Gagoni (Malik Grath) on river Neel, uninterrupted electricity supply in the area, and improvement in health services.
Shaheen said the road network is also in a dilapidated condition that has impacted mobility and added to the miseries of the people. He particularly referred to the bad shape of the Gagoni-Batoo stretch of Neel road, saying no effort is being made to improve and upgrade it.
The NC district president urged the R&B Department to take up the restoration and upgradation works on immediate bases. He also drew the attention of the government towards deficiencies in education and health sectors and sought immediate filling up of vacant posts as also stocking of adequate quantity of medicines in the health institutions. He said complaints about defunct utility services have also been received from Khari-Trigam-Mahoo-Mabgit, Pogal-Paristan, Sumar, Sarachi, Amkote-Thachi, Hijhal, Nowgam, Bajmasta, Chaka, Sarbagni, Bingara, Kumbla, Phagow, Maligam, Chaknarwah, Sumar and other areas.
