Sajid Raina
Gurez: Chrowan village, located on the foothills of international Border in Gurez area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district sans basic facilities like road connectivity, electricity, mobile connectivity, and potable water supply, thereby making villagers suffer immensely.
The locals said that the government has failed to address the problems of common masses in this remote village as they have been a victim of official apathy which has forced many families to shift to other locations within the district.
“In the modern era, when smart phones and latest gadgets are easily available to all, basic amenities like potable drinking water, streets, roads, medical or veterinary care, transportation and sanitary facilities, are a distant dream to us,” Saif-udin Lone (60), a local resident said.
“Lack of medical facilities had put lives in danger several times, especially during the period of winter. Repeated pleas to authorities concerned have fallen on deaf ears,” said Khateeja Bagem(55), another villager.
She said that the area sans clean drinking water as well and they have to drink water from Kishan-Ganga river which is unhealthy.
The locals built a wooden bridge here centuries ago which is no longer walkable now. “We have repeatedly appealed to the government to build a new bridge but nothing has happened yet”, she said.
She said that the health scenario in the village is very poor with the villagers mainly dependent on herb medicines. “At times, patients have to travel long distances along a bad road to reach the Sub-District Hospital Dawar,” she said.
“Whenever there is a problem in the village or the villagers need some help, people immediately go to the local BSF units and get help from them,” the locals said. The locals of the village appealed to the Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Owais Ahmad to personally look into the matter and help resolve their grievances—(KNO)
