Pregnant Women Carried Miles: A Shameful Failure of Governance

GNS ONLINE NEWS PORTAL

ALTAF HUSSAIN

MENDHAR DECM 27:-Residents of village Panchayat Lower Uchhad, Ward No. 6, are living under extremely harsh and painful conditions due to the complete absence of road connectivity, a problem that has persisted for decades and reflects serious administrative failure and neglect. Despite repeated appeals, memorandums, and personal visits to concerned offices, the voices of the people continue to be ignored.

For years, the residents have approached every possible authority and public representative, including the MLA, DDC member, Sarpanch, and officials of various concerned departments. They have raised their grievances during public meetings, submitted written requests, and waited patiently for assurances to turn into action. However, every promise has remained confined to paper, and every assurance has faded with time, leaving the people of Ward No. 6 feeling completely abandoned by the system.

The lack of a proper road has turned daily life into a constant struggle. Children face immense difficulty in reaching schools, especially during rainy seasons when paths become slippery and dangerous. Patients suffering from illness are unable to reach hospitals on time, often resulting in worsening health conditions. Elderly residents, women, and children remain virtually cut off from the outside world, deprived of basic facilities that are considered fundamental rights in any developed society.

The situation becomes most tragic during medical emergencies. Pregnant women in Ward No. 6 suffer the most, as there is no motorable road to transport them to health facilities. In many cases, villagers are forced to lift pregnant women on their shoulders or on makeshift stretchers and carry them for long distances to reach the nearest road or medical center. Such scenes are heartbreaking and raise serious questions about governance, humanity, and equality.

Adding to the suffering, the ward lacks basic drinking water facilities. There is not a single functional hand pump available for the residents, Women and children are forced to walk long distances daily to fetch water, further increasing their physical and emotional burden.

In utter disappointment and desperation, the residents were compelled to take matters into their own hands. Collecting donations from neighbors and contributing from their own meager resources, they constructed a temporary tractor road just to ensure minimal connectivity. This act of self-reliance, while commendable, is a painful reminder of the deep failure of responsible departments that have ignored their duty for years.

The people of Ward No. 6 ask a simple yet powerful question: Are we not citizens of this country? Are we not entitled to the same basic facilities as others? While development claims are made at every level, the ground reality in Panchayat Lower Uchhad tells a completely different story of isolation, suffering, and neglect.

Through this press release, the residents make a strong and emotional appeal to the higher authorities, district administration Poonch and government leadership to immediately intervene. They demand the urgent construction of a proper all-weather road, adequate drinking water facilities, and access to essential services so that they can live a life of dignity, safety, and basic human comfort.

This is not a demand for luxury or special treatment, but a desperate plea for fundamental rights. The people hope that the media will highlight their pain and that the concerned authorities will finally wake up to their responsibility and bring an end to the prolonged injustice faced by Panchayat Lower Uchhad, Ward No. 6.