Several villages at Tulail a sub- valley of Gurez in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district are without basic facilities like proper road connectivity, electricity, mobile connectivity, and potable water supply, thereby making the villagers suffer immensely.
the locals said that the government has failed to address the problems of common masses in these remote villages including Kashpath, Dangithal, Purana-Tulail, Zadgi, Sheikh-pora and other adjoining villages. Locals said owing to the official apathy many families were forced to shift to other places.
“The major problem faced by people here is the lack of network connectivity. We had taken up the matter many times with the concerned authorities but to no avail,” Abdullah a local said from Sheikh-Pora.
He said due to the bad road conditions, the vehicles suffer extensive damages every year, and particularly the patients are facing a tough time to reach hospital through the dilapidated road.
Shareef Ahmad, another resident, said that at a time when phone connectivity is running all over the country, their villages still lack this facility due to which the people are facing a lot of problems here.
"I have been posted here in Tulail belt for the last five years, since then there has been no development in these villages. We never get a passenger vehicle here on time. If we had to go somewhere, we have to get a private vehicle, " a forest official posted in the area, wishing not to be named, said.
Ashiq another resident said that although there is a PHC centre in the area, but the lack of staff there is what worries them.
"The condition of the road from Dawar to Tulail is dilapidated which is why we complete an hour's journey in one day," he said.
"Also we do not have access to clean water and had to fetch drinking water from the river Kishan Ganga," Ashiq said.
"We also want our Tulail belt to be a beautiful place for tourists but before that, the government should consider our basic needs, " Nahida a local student said.
"How long will the people here build wooden bridges that collapse after every year," she said.
The locals appealed to the LG administration and Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Owais Ahamd to personally look into the matter and help to resolve their grievances.