SUHAIL RATHER
Bandipora, 11 Mar: Boyinar village in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district is without a regular water supply scheme even in 21st century forcing the womenfolk to fetch water from nearby streams in the bone-chilling winter.
The residents of Boyinar Onagam, which comprises of 200 households, said that there is no water-supply scheme. "Our women have to walk in this harsh winter to fetch water from nearby streams,” said a local elder.
The locals said that the water which they are drinking from past several years from nearby nallah is muddy and unsafe. “Our men, women and children quite often fell ill by drinking unsafe and mud-filled water,” said another local.
" Every day government claims that they are being provided with pure all basic facilities but We don’t have even drinking water facility,” said Saleema Begum, a local resident.
“We are forced to bring water from a stream and some people bring from nearby villages. It is an embarrassment,” Nazeer Ahmad, another resident of Boyinar said.
He said the water from the streams is contaminated and local residents, children especially, often suffer from gastro-intestinal problems.
While lashing out at politicians, the residents added that they come to their village only at the time of elections. “First they come, seek votes in the name of providing basic civic facilities but after winning polls, they disappear till next elections. The politicians simply betray poor masses,” the locals lamented.
