Bandipora, Nov 03: The villagers of Nagwani area of Dardpora village in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district have expressed resentment against the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department for “failing” to provide compensation to those who lost their land for a road project back in 2014.
A delegation of villagers told Rising Kashmir that the road connecting Dardpora to Nagwani was constructed under the NABARD wing of the department. “The road was completed within two years, with all the necessary components like macadamisation,” a local said, adding that despite promises, the affected villagers have not received any compensation.
He said that approximately 30 families had their land acquired for the road project, and they haven’t received any financial support to this day, despite government assurances. The villagers diligently completed all the required documentation and submitted their files to the authorities, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears, he added.
“We are impoverished villagers, and we implore the relevant authorities to address our predicament,” the affected villagers said.
Another local said, “Some of us lost five to ten marlas of land, while others had to demolish their houses or abandon house foundations to accommodate the road project.”
The villagers said they made several visits to the NABARD office, where they received vague assurances of forthcoming funds, but no tangible progress has been made in the nine years since.
They accused the department of non-seriousness and deliberately stalling the process of elevating the matter to higher authorities for reasons “known only to them”.
The villagers requested intervention from the administration of the Lieutenant Governor to expedite the resolution of this long-standing issue.
