Batamaloo residents decry lack of basic facilities at community hall

Srinagar, Apr 18: The residents of Batamaloo and its adjoining areas have been decrying the lack of basic facilities at the local community hall.

The aggrieved residents said that the community hall at Shah Faisalabad Batamaloo lacks the matting facility, and those who book the hall have to pay for the matting separately. They said that the issue defeats the purpose of having a community hall in the area, as they still have to rely on camping agencies for matting.

“The community hall was constructed for the local community after a decade of delay, and now these issues are pestering us. There is a lack of matting, which creates inconvenience to the families who hold a function at the community hall. In most of the community halls, there is proper matting, and here we lack that basic facility despite paying a hefty amount,” said Molvi Habibulla, from the local Intizamia Committee.

The aggrieved locals said that they are also charged 25 thousand rupees per day for the function, and usually the function goes for 2-3 days.

“On average, we pay Rs 50000 per marriage function for two days, which is very high for the locals who come from humble backgrounds. We have strived hard for the community hall because we don’t have proper space to hold functions, but now we have to pay a hefty amount, which defeats the purpose of having this facility,” said another local.

The residents appealed that the authorities should at least give some respite to the locals in the vicinity of Batamaloo, who have had to strive for years to create this facility.

Senior Congress leader and MLA Batamaloo Tariq Hameed Karra, said that since the issue has been brought to his notice, he will take it up with the concerned officers.

“I was the one who initiated the project so that a facility could be created for the locals who live in a congested setup and face issues while holding any function. It was created as a facility for people to avail themselves at a minimal fee and not as a commercial entity. I will look into the issue and talk to concerned officials to resolve it,” Karra said.