SHAFQAT SHEIKH
BUNJWAH FEBRUARY 08:–Celebrating its Independent and Republic victory from Independence days and Constituting its own law and orders, maintaining communal harmony, peace and brotherhood and making Digital India in world, is going with a rapid pace of technology and development with the slogan to full fill the needs of the poor masses especially in the rural areas, in providing electricity, drinking water, road connectivity and other basic facilities on doorstep.
Unfortunately, if we go deep, through research in the far-flung and remote areas across Chenab Valley, the real picture behind slogans will automatically start speaking for itself. In Kishtwar district the adjoining villages, that are not more than 5 km away from the road, are still lacking the facility of drinking water, electricity and road connectivity from Independence, fetching drinking water, villagers have to travel 4 to 5 km to collect muddy water from Nallahs or from rivers which is a health hazard.
The people of the rural villages of Kishtwar district are seen collecting drinking water from muddy sources in this modern era of technology and development of 21 Century. People of entire Bunjwah and other adjoining areas are demanding road connectivity, telecommunication system, proper electrification to all villages, hassle free supply of drinking water and essential commodities from Government.
From time to time several politicians have fooled the peoples and promised them that they will full fill their demands after Elections that also happened in the recently held DDC Elections across Jammu and Kashmir. Source informed that a newly elected DDC Member in Kishtwar after winning the election forgot all the promises soon after declaration of result. Adding that while responding to a question of correspondent during press conference, the elected DDC Councillor said that it is impossible to run the administrative units from Bunjwah as the area lacks the basic facilities. Unfortunately, once like such peoples got elected and gains the chair, they forgot everything what they had promised before.
The problems and demands remains unsolved and unfulfilled. Poor and downtrodden people are crying and trying to raise their voice, but their voices remain unheard as such peoples label them as blackmailer. The roads of Chenab Valley speak itself regarding the ongoing works taken by the government for betterment of the society.
The telecommunication department is hampered and paralysing as some peoples are unaware of mobile phones in this modern age of Science and Technology. Not enough, same is the case with Power Development Department that various villages are still unelectrified despite the department bagged award of 100% electrification in Jammu and Kashmir.
Peoples residing in rural areas were hoping that they will get electricity and drinking water facility as the politicians had promised before election but they were neither provided drinking water nor electricity, as they have to walk about 4 to 5km from their houses to get drinking water. Bunjwah villages are live example of such injustice.
During the ruling and opposition, some opportunists got benefits from politicians, but poor people’s dream vanishes into thin air. This is need of the hour is to check whether the scheme formulated by State/Central Government for rural areas reach to common masses or not because every time and in every budget. There is big announcement of different welfare schemes worth corers of rupees for the development of rural areas, but on ground they are implemented without proper monitoring of accountability commission that is happening from past several years.
The work which is carried out by different developmental departments across kishtwar district needs to be checked in order to book the corrupt officials and thereby to save the government exchequer meant for the welfare of the gullible people of hilly and remote areas of Chenab Valley of J&K. Otherwise, it would take more than decades to meet the basic requirements of the hilly and rural people in the whole nation, that are awaiting benefit of Government schemes.
