Remote Kupwara village grapples with lack of basic amenities

Kupwara, Jan 23: Even in this modern time, a remote village in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district is grappling with lack of water, road connectivity and medical facilities thus putting the inhabitants to a lot of hardships.

Over hundred households of Sangdana Kralpora have been suffering since long but the successive dispensations have failed to extend them with the basic essential items.

“With each passing day, the world is witnessing modernisation but nothing has changed in our village. We are forced to live the conventional life like our forefathers,” a local told Greater Kashmir.

The residents are suffering due to lack of potable drinking as authorities have failed to provide them tap water since long. They said that during 80’s a water supply scheme was sanctioned for the village which later got damaged and since then inhabitants are deprived of tap water.

According to locals, almost every family has constructed a well in their courtyard to address the water scarcity issue but due to widespread dry spell, the wells have dried up making things worse for the locals.

“Every year we are supposed to clean these wells twice a year to get pure water. Last year in a tragic incident four persons lost their lives while cleaning a well after poisonous gas oozed out from the well. Had there been tap water available in our village, the incident could not have occurred,” added locals.

Locals said that they are subjected to severe hardships in absence of proper road connectivity to their village. “Due to the lack of a proper road we are forced to walk up to Kralpora-Warsun road and board public transport there. We have given up the hope of seeing a macadamised road up to our village after successive dispensations failed to construct the road,” the residents said.

The residents also rued lack of medical facilities in the area. They said with no health centre available in the village they are forced to shift their patients to Sub District Hospital (SDH) Kralpora for even small ailments.

They appealed to authorities to at least establish a health sub center in the village so that they can heave a sigh of relief.