Fayaz Bukhari
Zadibal constituency with a sizable population of artisans and fishermen has been neglected by the successive Governments. It starts from Kawdara and extends upto Sadarbal and residents say basic amenities are lacking here.
The constituency is represented by Peer Afaq Ahmad of National Conference since 2008. The residents here have identical problem like lack of proper drinking water facilities, pot holed roads, lack of drainage, lack of proper electricity facilities and Ration Depots.
A look at the Sheikhul Alam Colony Kawdara reveals an under construction drain. Residents say work on it started in 2008 and it is still going on. “During rains and winters our lanes are flooded with water as there is no outlet for the drainage”, said Arshad Ahmad of Kawdara.
“In Surnai Mohalla pipes were laid to provide drainage facilities to the area but they failed. These pipes were laid 5 years back pipes by digging the road and so far road was not repaired”, says Arshad.
The look around the locality reveals rotten and broken electric poles with electric wires drooping and damaged at many places. At places High Tension wires pass over LT and they pose threat to human lives in the area. “We approached the concerned PDD authorities for repairs and replacement of electric wires and poles but they say that they have no money”, said Javed Ahmad, a local resident.
“Gadda Kocha, Sunrai Mohalla, Dali Pora, New Colony Kawdara and adjacent areas have no street lights. It is very difficult to travel in the evening on pot holed lanes and by-lanes. We approached the municipal authorities but they paid no heed”, said residents of the area.
The residents said that the streets are filthy as sweepers of the SMC hardly come to this area. “We have no dust bin facility in our locality”, they said.
The area is congested and there is no community hall, parks or playground for our children. Children are mostly seen on streets. And graveyard of the locality has no fencing and part of it is water logged.
Residents of the area say that there is only one Ration Depot for Kawdara area that caters to over 1000 families. “There are huge rush and queues at the Ration Depot and often people fight each other over the ration. We needs more ration depots. Besides, the ration is being sold in black market leaving people without ration. The deserving families have no BPL ration cards while non-deserving posses it”, said Abdul Rashid, a local resident.
As one walks into Hawal on the main road, it gives a better feeling but when one walks inside the lanes and by-lanes and meets the people, the story turns out to be a different one.
People here face acute water shortage and residents have to store water it for the day. Says Irfan Ahmad: “The taped water never enters our homes. We store water in underground tanks as we get only one hour water supply at 6 a.m. Sometimes we get another hour’s water supply in the evening.”
The area used to have a beautiful water body – Khusharsar, but over the decades the sewerage of the locality has turned into a cesspool. “During rains drains overflow and water enters our homes”, say residents of the area.
The area also faces electricity crisis in the form of frequent power cuts and low voltage. “We have one transformer for 40 households and there is low voltage. We approached MLA 3 years ago and the PDD officials with our problem but nothing happened”, said Javed Ahmad, a local resident.
The roads of the area welcome you to a bumpy ride as they are full of pot holes. “Some roads of the area were repaired recently but majority including that of Iqbal Colony lanes have not been”, say residents.
The residents also allege lack of facilities at the Narwara dispensary. They have also problem with the Narwara Ration Ghat where residents allege sugar is sold in black market and people are made to suffer on account of ration.
A peep into the nearby locality of Alamgari Bazar has no different story to tell. The area of the constituency also faces drinking water shortage. However, residents say that they get water from tankers during the Moharram.
Hanif Hussian, a local resident said that there is acute power crisis in the area. “Power supply remains only for 2-3 hours during the day and in the evening there are frequent power cuts. We approached the PDD JE several times but he says that the transformer of the area is overloaded that leads to frequent power cuts of the area”, says Hanif.
The residents said that the electric wires and poles are over 40 years old. Majority of the poles are damaged and wires are drooping leading to threat to human lives.
Another resident Nasir Hussain said that work on the drain in the locality began some 4 years ago but it is still under construction. “The sewerage of the area goes directly into Khushalsar water body which has turned into cesspool. We used to drink water from it, bath in it and now it is a cesspool, a breeding ground for diseases”, he said.
A drive through the narrow lanes reveals that some roads are in good condition but residents say inner lanes have been repaired on political consideration. “The Alamgari Bazar dispensary was not upgraded for past four decades. It lacks staff and medicine and staff”, says Asghar Hussain, a local resident.
Residents say that no kerosene was supplied to the people from Ration Depot of the area since March this year. The Ration Depot remains open for only two days and after that the officials always say that they have run out of supplies. “However, the ration is sold in black market”, allege residents.
The residents allege that the BPL cards are given to the non-deserving while deserving are left out. Last year we registered several complaints and 38 BPL ration cards issued to non-deserving were cancelled.
Another area of the constituency Gille Kadal has similar story to tell. “We have an acute water crisis here. Residents fight one another over the drinking water. Those who have storage tanks store it by using boosters but others object to it leading to quarrels. Water crisis has deepened for past one year in Baba Mohalla, Babapora, Pazalpora, Dar Mohalla, Watalwaier and Bohlachpora areas of Gille Kadal”, says Shafat Ahmad, a local resident of Gille Kadal.
Residents say that the drainage system in the area has failed and instead of draining water, our lanes get waterlogged during rains. “Some areas like Babapora are without drainage”, they say. The roads in the area are generally full of pot holes and are dusty.
Another resident, Aijaz Ahmad says that the area faces power crisis and the power infrastructure has not been upgraded for decades now. “The poles, wires are damaged in the area. Our mohalla, Babapora, has 60KV transformer and it has to cater to 100 households, it is always overloaded and voltage is very low. We have frequent breakdown of transformer and it takes weeks to repair it, that too we pay from our own pockets”, he adds.
Residents say that the Dispensary of the area has no doctor; it has a nurse and an ASHA worker. “We approached Director Health Services Kashmir several times with the demand of a doctor for the dispensary but so far it has not been provided. We also met MLA of the area several times but he showed no concern”, said Abdul Hamid, a local resident.
Another area of the constituency, Nowshera, is one of the most neglected. One of the main problems of the area is that majority of its areas are under green belt and no one can construct houses here. “We can’t construct houses here as it is in green belt. It is a major humanitarian problem here as several families are living in a single house. It affects our privacy. If our area has been declared green belt, we should be provided alternate land for the construction of houses”, said Ghulam Rasool Tiploo.
Residents say that there is acute water crisis in the area as the infrastructure has not been upgraded for past 5 decades now. “We store water and taps mostly remain dry here. People have to remain in cue to fetch water. We had fresh water spring here and authorities mixed drainage with it and it nowhere exists now”, says Ghulam Rasool Tiploo, a local resident.
“The drains of the area always remain blocked and at places are without manholes. We clean drains on our own and SMC never bothers”, says Gulzar Ahmad, a local resident.
“We don’t have a dispensary here and we have to go to SKIMS, Soura for treatment. Since it is a tertiary care hospital, they don’t entertain us. We have been demanding a dispensary in this area for long. Besides this people have cattle here and there is no veterinary here to treat them”, said Gulzar Ahmad.
Major chunk of the land of this area has been acquired by the SKIMS and residents say that they were not rehabilitated by the Government. “We donated land for the SKIMS hospital. We were promised fourth class jobs in the hospital but it were provided to those of the other area”, said Mohammad Yaqub, a local resident.
Residents said that the main road of the area, Polyclinic road is full of potholes. Power supply is erratic, poles are damaged and wires are at places 8 feet above the ground posing threat to human lives.
The area has large chunk of fishermen whose are mostly living below poverty line. They say that Government has not done anything for them for their upliftment. They are only used as vote banks by the politicians. Govt school building in the area where mostly children from downtrodden family study are in dilapidated condition and some of them are unsafe.
The area has a similar story about Ration Depot where ration mostly vanishes. Some areas of Nowshera are most backward despite being in the Srinagar city.
Adjacent locality of Lal Bazar has no different story. The roads of the area have been encroached upon and people face difficulty in commuting as there is space for only one vehicle to pass at a time. Says Masood Ahmad Hakeem: “Amda Kadal to Hawal road is now 8 feet only, it used to be 22 feet and over the years it has been encroached upon. From Molvi Stop towards Bagwanpora the roads are narrow and trucks fail to go inside the colony. There is no public transport due to narrow roads and people have to walk 2 kilometers to catch a bus at Molvi stop. People are ready for giving land for road widening but Government is not coming forward”, he added.
“In Amda Kadal area Government sold Nazool land of the area which could have been used for constriction of parks, playgrounds and other community level facilities”, say residents.
They allege that there were four public ghats on Nageen lake and used to go to Hazratbal in boats. These Ghats like Hakeen Yarbal were encroached upon by the some influential and Government remained silent spectator.
The residents said that they also have erratic power supply. A transformer caters to 200-300 households and they are overloaded and often develop snags. “It takes weeks together for the repairs and mostly we pay for it. The drinking water is supplied in the evening and morning only and people have to store water”, said residents.
The lanes and by-lanes of the area are also full of pot holes and are dusty. The area lacks Ration Depot and locals have to go to Lal Bazar Ration Depot which is overcrowded.
There is a dispensary in the area where there are no doctors but has only one Nurse. The area also lacks playground and college. The students have to go to Islamia College for higher studies.
The residents of Omar Colony say that lanes and by-lanes of the area are full of pot holes and during the rains they remain water-logged. “It takes weeks for the Government to drain the water”, they say.
Says Tariq Ahmad, a local resident: “The main road of Botshah Mohalla has been encroached and it is now only 12-13 feet when the road width in Revenue records is 60 feet.
In some areas there is no drainage and in Almardar Colony where there is drainage, the drainage water seeps into the bathroom. “We went SMC officials but they didn’t respond”, say locals.
Residents say that despite for being a metered area, there are frequent power cuts and when transformers develop snag they have to repair it on their own. The area also has drinking water scarcity and they have to store the water. The area also lacks street lights.
The area has also acute street dog menace and residents say they have to accompany their children to school. They said that the PHC of the area is at Molvi Stop and the hospital of the area is under construction for past several years near Lal Bazar ground.
They allege that the MLA of the area never visited the locality since he was elected. “We met him and apprised him of our problems. He promised to resolve our problems but nothing happened”, they say.
The constituency is represented by Peer Afaq Ahmad National Conference. He defeated Shahi Jehan Dar of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by a margin of over 1000 votes. Peer polled 4335 votes and Dar 3094.
The MLA Peer Afaq Ahmad told Excelsior that when he was elected in 2008 from Zadibal, the constituency was in shambles and only a particular area was developed and majority of the constituency was neglected over the years.
“Luckily Greater Srinagar project was launched in 2008 in Srinagar and it started from Zadibal with laying of sewerage pipes. All the lanes and by-lanes were dug for laying the drainage pipes. Their restoration was a major challenge. The CM was cooperative and 90 percent of these roads where roads were dug are now macadamized. Pipes and tiles were laid in 1262 lanes of the constituency. I tried my best to provide basic facility to the people. I can’t claim 100 percent but 45 to 50 percent has been done”, said Peer Afaq.
He said that two main roads of the constituency are not macadamized as a drainage project was going on in those two areas. “Mirza Akmal Chowk to Baghe Ali Mardan Khan via Madeen Sahib and Botshah Mohalla Chinar Chowk to Charyar Masjid Alamdar Colony have not been macadamized yet. Tenders have been issued and they will be macadamized soon. It will be followed by link roads”, he added.
The MLA said: “During my tenure as MLA, 7 community centre were sanctioned and four of them are ready. These centres are at Nowshera, Nalbal, Kanedwar, Gulshan Bagh, Kawdara and Hubbi Colony Sikh Bagh. Two Playgrounds were developed at Lal Bazar and Amda Kadal. Work on these is in progress. Some of the schools were upgraded and 3 new school buildings were constructed.”
Peer said that PHC building at Lal Bazar Police Station is under construction and it will be handed over to the Health Department soon. “It was a long pending demand of the people and I got 7 kanals of land acquired for it”, he said
The MLA said that in power sector lot more needs to be done in the constituency. “It is not upto the satisfaction of the people. Lot needs to done. It is a fact that at few places HT passes over residential houses as there are no poles. We have installed 2100 street lights in our constituency”, he said.
Peer Afaq admitted that there is problem on drinking water front in some areas of his constituency. He attributed it to the increase in the population over the years. “In Omar Colony new pipes are being laid and the water crisis will be over there after the project is completed. We will also resolve the issue of water crisis in Babapora, Zoonimar and Dullipora Kawdara soon”, he added.
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