Mir Farhat
Pampore constituency which touches its borders with Pulwama, Tral, Srinagar, is a link between Central Kashmir and South Kashmir. Though on development front the road connectivity across the constituency has improved a lot, yet inhabitants have woeful stories over electricity, education, health and drinking water.
The constituency which has about 80 villages and 80,000 voters has been represented twice since 2002 by People’s Democratic Party member Zahoor Ahmad Mir in the Assembly. Mir is contesting the forthcoming Assembly elections from the constituency.
Mir defeated Congress candidate Mohammad Anwar Bhat in 2008 Assembly elections by a margin of over 5000 votes. Mir polled 11117 votes and Bhat 5969.
The constituency is famous for saffron and the saffron economy has made its residents and businessmen thrive. However, the saffron growers and residents said the Government and their representatives had done nothing to boost the vital trade in the international market.
“Our basic demand from years has been to organize saffron buyers-sellers meet to promote saffron in the world market. Our legislator didn’t do anything regarding it,” said Murawath Hussian Mir, chairman Fallah Behbood Committee in Pampore.
Mir said that a saffron park was allotted for the constituency, but the MLA for his vote bank shifted it into his own area which is “far away” from the National Highway and will not serve any purpose.
“The park was constructed to boost and promote saffron among tourists and businessmen. But now it has lost its purpose as it is being built inside the constituency, too away from the National Highway,” Mir siad.
Pampore town that is the face of the whole constituency has been neglected by the MLA, according to residents. Two sports stadia lying along on the Highway which are vital for promoting sports spirit among youth have not been provided with basic infrastructure. Sports stadium at Kadlabal is submerged in water and it has turned into a cesspool. The other sports ground some hundred meters from the former is without any fencing and basic infrastructure.
Sports enthusiasts of Pampore have protested against Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council and local authorities time and again for playing a mute spectator to the mess that has resulted in the stadia.
The residents particularly youth demanded dewatering of the stadium so that they are provided with proper space to play their favourite games.
“It used to be one of the premier ground in Pulwama district, but thanks to the official apathy it has become a cesspool of water and mini-bus stand has been carved out of the land,” said the residents.
They accused Municipal Committee Pampore for the bad condition of the stadium saying: “They frequently throw off the garbage into the stadium as the stadium is situated on the National Highway which makes their job easier. Lot of bad smell emanates from the garbage and sedentary water which is health hazardous.”
The inauguration stone of the stadium was laid by then Sports Minister RS Chib, Ghulam Nabi Nabi Rattanpuri, ex-MP and local MLA Zahoor Ahmad Mir in April 2010, but all the promises of equipping the stadium with modern gadgets, according to the residents, didn’t materialize.
The town also grapples with basic amenities like clean, filtered drinking water, electricity outages, poor drainage, lanes and street lights.
Being the main business centre, the town generates sufficient money for Town Committee. But the residents accused the committee for messing up the conditions in the town and also blamed the MLA for “failing to rein in” its officials.
The drainage maintenance has been prey to the dispute between UEED and Municipality.
The schools in the constituency crave for improvement as lot of schools have been upgraded, but a number of primary schools are functioning from rented rooms. Even some schools face shortage of accommodation.
Four high schools have been upgraded into higher secondary which include Ladhoo, Samboora, Lethpora, Khrew; eight middle schools including Chandhara, Konibal, Nihama, Zantrag, Padgampora, Wuyan, Bathen, Barsoo have been converted into high schools; 21 primary schools upgraded as middle schools across the constituency in the last 12 years.
Primary school in Alamdar Colony Shaar which has 40 students functions in two rented rooms, primary school in Sheikh Mohalla, Shaar, has over 40 students, but the students are cramped in a single room which has been mentioned as school and the school in Shaar Shaali has two rooms for more than 50 children.
Some schools across the constituency have less infrastructure and deficiency in staff, the students said, adding that most of the schools have very less space to play.
The condition of the roads in the constituency has improved from the last seven years, with most of the link roads metalled and macadamized.
However, roads in many villages like from Lethpora to Chandhara are in shambles, with residents demanding immediate macadamisation.
Despite assurance from Power Development Department that there will be no power curtailments during Iftar and Sehri, people of Pampore town said they have no such respite.
Residents said power curtailments have become routine during Iftar and Sehri times. They complained that load shedding is being witnessed for more than an hour during Iftar time.
Inhabitants in Nihama, Marwal, Samboora, Hatiwara, Rajpora Balla also showed resentment over erratic electricity.
Unabated excavation of soil in saffron land by mafia of contractors and builders in Pampore area has saffron growers fuming, as blamed the Government and their legislator for failing to curb the loot of the saffron gold.
With no official stopping this mafia, the earthmovers have been used on Karewas land in villages of Chandhara, Letapora, Barsoo, and Samboora in broad day light from last few years to carry this illegal excavation.
Locals said the land mafia has been supplying this soil to contractors for widening Highway on which the work has been going on for the last few years at the cost of precious Karewas land that provides livelihood to thousands of people.
They alleged that despite repeated pleas to the officials concerned no action has been taken against this mafia to save the land.
“Every day hundreds of tippers and tractors ferry soil from Chandhara, Letapora, Barsoo, and Samboora. The administration has failed to stop this vandalisation of our golden land,” Safdar Ahmad Dar of Samboora village.
The inhabitants also fumed at the slow pace of construction work on Government Degree College, Pampore.
Despite its foundation stone laid by Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah himself in 2011, more than three years have passed, the proposed work on Government Degree College, Pampore is yet to start.
The local alleged that the official apathy has led to the delay in its construction. The residents said their MLA has not “pursued” the swift construction of the college with the Government.
Students said they have to face a lot of problems in the rented building, where college is presently been run.
“CM has promised us that the work on the college will commence by March 2012 but we don’t understand why the construction has been delayed, the students have to face problems in the existed college which is operational from a rented building which lacks basic amenities like lavatories for students,” they said.
Nazir Ahmad Baba, a local resident said the Government should start the construction of college as soon as possible, as students will not to suffer.
With the river Jehlum snaking through the constituency, the residents said they are being supplied impure drinking water through water supply schemes.
Healthcare in the constituency has not seen much facelift in the last many years except a 50 bed sub district hospital in Pampore town, and primary health centers in Konibal, Ladhoo, Zantrag, Khrew, Nihama, Lethpora and sub centers in Goripora, and Marwal.
However, the residents said that a new building in Pampore sub hospital has not been completed thus far. Residents in Goripora village said their sub centre is not functioning from the last many years. Most of the residents also complained health centers have deficiency in staff like doctors, and infrastructure.
Inhabitants of villages Mohamviji, Rishipora, Banderpora, Larkipora also said the lanes and bylanes in their villages are in shambles. They said they are facing irregular power cuts, supplied impure drinking water and have least health facilities available to them. The road from Kakapora to Padgampora that passes from Lelhar, Hajibal, and other villages is in shambles and has huge potholes.
Residents in Kakapora town said the lanes and bylanes are damaged, and the town has no drainage facility and also the street lights have not been installed.
“The town sinks into complete gloom and darkness after dusk as street lights have not been installed here,” said a shopkeeper, Showkat Ahmad.
Member Legislative Assembly Zahoor Ahmad Mir when asked about the genuine grievances of the inhabitants of his constituency, he said the overall developmental report in his area was satisfactory.
“I have allotted water supply schemes and tube wells to almost every village of my constituency though filtration system in some area might be defunct. Roads in my constituency are metalled and macadamised; those roads which are damaged have been taken up for repairing and widening. Tenders for Rajpora, Chandhara road have been floated and work will be started soon. Work on widening and macadamisation of Kakapora to Padgampora is ongoing,” Mir said.
Asked about the grievances of the town residents, Mir said Pampora town is the first one in the Valley where street lights were installed for Rs 40 lakh. “Some lights are not working, they should have been repaired by the concerned department, MLA can’t repair them,” he said.
“People from Pampore town don’t approach me for their grievances. They come for their individual benefits, but not for collective grievances of their town,” he said.
On the deteriorating condition of the stadia in the town, Mir said the then Sports Minister RS Chib had laid the foundation stone did nothing except laying it and promising sky to the people and blamed the present NC-Congress Government for neglecting his constituency.
“I sanctioned Rs 10 lakh at the foundation laying time for the stadium at Kadlabal, and Rs 27 lakh from District plan. But this Government did nothing to improve the status of the stadia even after I raised the issue in District Board meeting, Assembly and with the concerned Sports Ministers. But they all neglected it,” he said.
He said the infrastructure in schools has improved, yet there are some lacunae that need to be addressed. On schools functioning from rented and cramped rooms, he said he was not aware of them and will take the matter with the Chief Education Officer. “And in some cases land for the buildings is not available, which is a problem,” he said.
On illegal construction and soil extraction of soil in Saffron land, the legislator admitted that it was a fact. “I raised the issue with all concerned. I even wrote to Chief Minister, went to the Revenue Minister and told the Deputy Commissioner, Tehsildar number of times. But they did nothing,” he said.
On construction of Saffron Park in Dessu village and not along the Highway, Mir said the residents of Pampore objected to the park when they were asked for land. “Dessu residents gave free land to the park. Besides, I did not want the money approved for the park to lapse,” he said.
The legislator said his major projects during his tenure for the constituency were a Government Degree College, shopping complex, and Women’s Industrial Training Institute.
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