Mir Iqbal
Sangrama constituency has been neglected on development front over the years and people face problems of bad roads, drinking water shortage, lack of proper healthcare and over the years the constituency is highly polarized with residents of Kreera area pitched against those of Wagoora area over developmental issues.
The constituency is presented by Syed Basharat Bukhari of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who defeated Independent candidate Shoib Ahmad Lone by a margin of over 1000 votes in 2008 elections. Bukhari polled 7812 votes and 6482 Lone.
Residents of Wagoora area are angry with the MLA for what they said developing his own area of Kreeri.
“Few drains were constructed by PDP workers here but rest of the funds went to MLA’s Kreeri village. We talk about over all development for our constituency and our MLA puts funds in the kitty of his village. We call him MLA Kreeri,” said a local, Ghulam Hassan Bhat of Shrakwara.
“Even drains and MNREGA roads are only meant for connecting Kreeri village while as rest of the villages are denied drinking water, proper power supply and road connectivity,” Bhat said.
The inhabitants of Shrakwara area said that MLA used his influence to deny scores of families, living in abject poverty, Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) cases for constructing houses.
The inhabitants said works done under MGNREGA have benefitted some influential people and contractors, while as deserving areas have been left out. “The MLA and his workers are hand in glove for minting public exchequer. Even electric poles and wires were recently distributed among the MLA’s sympathizers while needy people were left out,” they said.
Locals said that the Public Health Engineering sub-division, which was sanctioned to the Kalantra village located on the banks of Ningli Nallah after devastating floods in the area, was shifted to Kreeri village. “MLA is dreaming of making his village a town,” they said.
“The PDP regime has turned Wagoora, main town of the constituency, into a medieval village despite 21 top officials are stationed in the town. And the MLA is using all his energy and influence to develop his village,” said another local Muzaffar Hussain of Nowpora.
The local population is up in arms against the MLA for allowing the water of Ningli Nallah being used for drinking purposes in other areas and ignoring Sangrama constituency.
“It is a conspiracy against the majority of the villages to push them into poverty. The MLA allowed usage of Ningli water for Sopore and Baramulla while villagers of the constituency are being forced to turn agricultural land into horticulture due to scarcity of water,” said another local Naseer Ahmad.
Naseer said: “We are not against supply of drinking water to any town or village but Government could have used lift water schemes to supply water to Sopore and Baramulla town either from Ningli or Jhelum river instead of taking water from the main source of Ningli. After drawing water from the main source of Ningli Nallah, whole constituency is facing shortage of water.”
The inhabitants said that the area lacks proper healthcare, drinking water facilities, electricity, education and road connectivity.
Inhabitants of Wagoora and Kreeri said that some roads have been macadamized and few building constructed during past six years.
“Some works including black topping of roads have done in these years, but other important sectors remained unchanged,” the inhabitants of Wagoora and Kreeri said, adding, “no major initiative was started in the area which could have benefitted general public in the long run.”
“Wagoora town despite being associated with ruling National Conference (NC) was neglected due to some unknown reasons,” the residents said.
The inhabitants of village Shrakwara, Nopora, Mirangund, Durhama, Wagil, Takia and other scores of villages in this belt said that they are being forced to drink unfiltered water.
They said that filtered water from Shrakwara plant is supplied to Sopore residents, while as locals are left with no option than to drink unfiltered water. “Our MLA is so weak that water from his constituency is supplied to other areas, and local people are suffering,” they said.
Ghulam Hassan, a retired Government employee from Wagoora said that at least a dozen of water pipes are dipped in Wagoora Nallah to divert water from the area to Sopore and other far off towns and due to this local inhabitants face water scarcity.
The locals said that Wagoora town can’t be decongested as the residents are unable to move to new areas for settlement at different places due to the lack of water facilities.
Durhama, Wagil, Takia and other adjoining areas face the same situation.
Since almost all the inhabitants’ are dependent on agriculture and its allied sectors, they blame the MLA for his failure to address the irrigation problems in the area.
“We fear that this season paddy and other crops may yield lesser yield due to the scarcity of water,” they said.
Farmers of Wagoora said that water has been diverted to other areas due to which required water supply doesn’t reach to their fields. “We approached MLA several times to help us to save horticulture from drought like situation by sanctioning an irrigation project, but he didn’t pay heed,” they said.
The inhabitants told Excelsior that the area has been neglected from last six-years due to which their grievances have compounded manifold.
Sameer Ahmad, a young local, said that water is supplied upto Delina in Baramulla and Sopore town, but for irrigating local karewa land, MLA has failed to provide save locals.
The residents of Wagoora said that they are lacking proper healthcare facilities and for a minor complication, patients of the area have to travel miles. There is no treasury, no Degree College, no separate higher secondary school for girls in Wagoora. The inhabitants demanded that there should be a hospital, college, PHE division available in the town.
Similarly, the inhabitants of Kreeri said that the MLA has failed to develop the area which sans basic facilities even in the 21st century.
Traders Federation Kreeri, Joint Secretary, Syed Hafizullah told Excelsior that “zero” development was witnessed in the area for last six years. “There is no drainage system in the town because of which people suffer a lot during winters and rains,” he said, adding, “till date MLA failed to construct a public toilet”.
He said there was only park in the town but it is being used as garbage dump, as few years back a political worker removed its fence in the name of maintenance.
Locals said that streetlights were installed in the market, but these are lying defunct since the day one and MLA didn’t bother to repair them despite repeated requests. The market reels under darkness after evening and people have to face a lot of incontinence.
“Roads connecting this town are in dilapidated condition”, say locals. “Now some roads are being black topped and patch work has just started on some roads as elections are nearing in,” they said.
Apart from this, the residents said that the area reels under darkness most of the times due to frequent and unscheduled power cuts.
They said since then Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad’s time no essential project was started in the area. “We have same roads, water supply pipes, electric poles and other important infrastructure established in Bakshi Sahib’s rule,” they said.
Bashir Ahmad, an elderly resident said Eidgah to Saheen Mohalla via Bus stand road is a century old, till date that was never macadamized.
The locals said that the situation is no more different in dozens of adjoining villages of the area. They said, Sitchpora, Dulipora, Waripora, Balla, Payeen, Frasthar, Khisipora, Wanigam Bala, Check Tapper, Karewa, Check Saloosa, Thandima, Kow Check, Hernow, Sheikhpora, Karshnar, Shirpora, Burzwasham, Dardpora, Watergam, Hala Jagir, Allaipora, Wizar, Mian Saloosa, Aathora, Dawlatpora, Mungam and other villages have been neglected by the Government.
Residents of these villages said that they are losing roads constructed during Bakshi Sahib’s time to encroachers.
The inhabitants these villages said that contaminated water is supplied to the people as the Government has failed to complete the filtration plant. “We approached to MLA, but our pleas fell to his deaf ears,” they said.
The residents said that health facility is negligible in the area and only constructing buildings in the name of healthcare services doesn’t help. “We have many long pending demands in the area, but MLA preferred to put all of us in miseries instead of mitigating them,” they said.
The inhabitants alleged that the politico-mafia nexus was ruling the roost in the area and whosoever raised genuine voice against them they have been labeled anti-social elements and then harassed.
In Kreeri Sub District Hospital there is dearth of doctors because of which general public suffers a lot. “There is no child specialist available in the hospital and for normal consultation, people are forced to move to other hospitals,” they added.
People also said that till date Commerce subjects were not introduced in the Higher Secondary level and students are forced to attend schooling dozens of miles away from the area.
The residents of Sangrama, Seer-A, Seer-B, Chenad, Lalad, Potkhah, Waguba, Hugam, Bilgam, Choor, Bungdoor, Dungdar and Muqam also said that these areas lack quality drinking water, healthcare, roads, and scheduled electricity.
MLA Sangrama, Syed Basharat Bukhari said that he worked day and night with full enthusiasm during these years for the development of his constituency.
“Dozens of developmental projects were taken during last six years, in which many are functional, while as others are under construction,” Bukhari said, adding, proposal for many new projects have been sent to the Government for approval.
He said that dozens of water supply schemes are under construction which will provide relief to the people after their completion.
He said Water Supply Schemes at Bandibala, Nilsar- Baldaji, Sultanpora, Doudbug, Drangpatti, Shirpora-Muren, Managam- Wagoora, Maharajpora-Kuchwa, Naya Bhat, Wizar, Khan Patti, Dardpora, Doolipora, Frasthaar, Wuderaabad, Chenud, Khushalpora, Saeed Colony, Seer Jagir, Food Park Colony, Nigli, Haritaar, Darbal-Ambarpora, Khoiee, Rengi, Time Pass Colony, Karewa-Nopora-Meerangund and Shrakwara are under construction.
“People are right that they are facing water scarcity in some area, but I am trying my best to provide filtered water to them and for that work on filtration plant at Shrakwara is going on,” MLA said.
“Two new Over Head Tanks (OHT), were constructed to provide drinking water to the people,” he said, adding, a defunct OHT was made functional.
Similarly, MLA said that many new irrigation schemes were taken up to provide water to the farmers, which was their long pending demand.
“Muqam Kohl, Gama Kohl, Kalantra Kohl, Dehgam Kohl, Seer Kohl, Shoorish Kohl, Khalri Kohl,Lalad-Amargarh Kohl, Aalibagh Kohl, Darhambal Kohl and some other were taken during my tenure,” MLA said.
Bukhari said that lift irrigation for Sangrama, Potkhah, Lalad, Amargarh, Wagab, Panjipora and Kramshore were taken up with the cost of Rs 8.5 crores.
“The proposal for water conservation dams for Ningli Nallah at three different places was sent for approval,” he said.
MLA Sangrama said that to boost education sector, many schools were upgraded from Primary to Middle, Middle to High and High to Higher Secondary Schools here.
“I have sent a proposal for opening of college in my constituency, so that students can avail its benefits,” he said, “I have also arranged faculty to teach Commerce subjects in Higher Secondary School, Kreeri, but that was not executed due to the political interference,” he said.
Scores of areas have been identified for the promotion of tourism in the area, MLA said.
To provide long term benefit to the locals of the area, two power projects at Upper Shranz and Lower Shranz were taken in my tenure and work allotment process in these vital projects is going on.
MLA said that work on 11 bridges were taken up in his tenure in which five have been completed and work on rest six bridges was going on. “Dard Hajin-Nagbal bridge, Pehlgam-Wagoora bridge, Waripora-Payeen bridge, Shrakwara-Wizar bridge, Dangdara bridge, Chanpora bridge, Bangdara bridge, Choora bridge, Aalibagh bridge and Lalad bridge have been taken by me,” he said.
He said that several road projects were taken up during last six years including Handoori-Sultanpora, Wagila- Kachwa- Masjidaajan, Hygam-Tarzoo- Wagub, Razvath-Nagub-Amargard-Seer Sangrama, Daulatpora-Dandgara-Nopora-Chenad, Charo-Kreeri-Sheikhpora-Dardpora and Tapper-Kalantra (phase 2nd).
“Food Gowdown at Kandi is under construction,” he said, adding, poultry and sheep production has increased in the area during last six years. “Several camps were organized to spread awareness and distribute necessary medicines to the farmers,” he said.
MLA said that for the development of sports infrastructures in the constituency, many new sports fields were developed and scores of them were maintained. “I distributed sports kits during last six years among youngsters to promote quality sports in the area,” MLA said.
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