Bandipora, Dec. 2: The 900-person population of the Bandipora district in north Kashmir is still irritated by the absence of a phone network and a medical facility, despite the fact that the villages in the Vewan region of the district were happy to have power returned on Thursday.
Due to infrastructural damage sustained when PMGSY built a road to the hamlet, the people have been suffering from a shortage of power.
2019 was the first time the inhabitants had access to power, but it was quickly cut off when PMGSY began digging for the village’s road.
Up until then, the community didn’t have power.
Officials from the Power Development Department (PDD) claim that after 63 KV transformers, 70 LT poles, and 129 HT poles were installed in 2019, about half of the hamlet was electrified.
The residents expressed their happiness at the restoration of energy, although it was limited.
Shabir Ahmad, a local, expressed his satisfaction at the restoration of power.
He stated that considering the state of the power system in Kashmir, they are still unsure about whether power would be provided for long enough hours and all winter long, even with snowfall.
According to the residents, the collapsed road has been repaired, and residences are now receiving water supplies.
Locals, however, said that their burden from the absence of medical services was immense.
Shabir said, “We are frequently compelled to travel to Bandipora because the facilities at Athwatoo also fall short of our expectations.”
He said that the issue was made worse by snowfall, which cuts off traffic since cars are unable to drive on the road.
The locals claimed to have been informed that while the government had approved a building for the sub-center, it was not being built for unspecified reasons.
For minor procedures, we have to go to Athwatoo or walk several kilometers there. According to another resident, Mushtaq Ahmad, the subcenter in the hamlet does not satisfy any of our needs.
According to him, the sub-center, which is housed in a run-down leased space, lacks essential medical supplies and physicians, so patients are compelled to seek care elsewhere.
In addition, the villagers said that Jio’s phone access was fast and that they could make a few calls.
In order to facilitate communication in an emergency situation when snowfall takes off surface access, the locals urged that the link be made dependable.
