Sajid Raina
Bandipora, Feb 06 : Banyari- a village, surrounded by Wullar on three sides and river Jhelum on the other side is without basic facilities even in the 21st century with no road connectivity, electricity, potable water supply and no proper healthcare facility thereby making villagers suffer immensely.
Locals said the area lacks water supply, electricity and medical facilities from decades. “We have no proper road connectivity, water supply, no electricity and no health facility, even though there is no school in our village now,” they said. “The transmission lines are of poor quality and are lying low, often developing snag and affecting electric supply to the village,” they added.
About the Wular conservation Project, the locals said the mud or silt is being spread haphazardly around the village. The locals said that the machine and vehicles had even damaged their roads thus making it difficult to walk or even commute on it. "We aren't even able to walk over the road, the students are stuck at their homes all because the mud is being dumped around the village", locals said.
The locals blamed the WUCMA for the deteriorating environment around the village already having a shortage of basic amenities. To mention, the WUCMA is conducting dredging operations in the Wullar for its restoration under Wullar conservation prohect.
Though according to the contractors the mud is to be dumped at least 2 kilometres from the village, the villagers allege the rules are not being followed, instead mud is being dumped near the village.
Not only this, the villagers also rued shortage of ration. "We don't have ration on depots, the basic amenities are like a dream, the students have nowhere to go for studies and the recent issue (mud deposition) is a new headache for us", Shafeeq Dar a local said.
“We are forced to drink contaminated water from streams as the area is without an upgraded water supply scheme,” Abdul Gani, an elderly resident, said.
Gulam Nabi Dar a local claimed that 60% of the people in this village are illiterate. The primary reason for such high illiteracy is the absence of a high school or higher secondary school. "We had a middle school here which was relocated by the government six months ago after which our children's education will be affected, " he said. “There is no health care facility in our area, due to which we have to take patients ten kilometres away to Hajin for treatment”, he said.
To provide electricity to a famous heritage site, Zaina Lank the department laid wires and poles five years ago, but later left the work unfinished, Saleem Maqbool another resident said. Meanwhile, the residents appealed to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and the district administration to intervene and redress their grievances.
