Residents of mountainous Bandipora villages face hard time in absence of roads

Bandipora, Dec 12: The mountainous villagers of Palkaar in the Arin-Dardpora DDC constituency, located in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, are struggling without roads.

The villagers, while narrating the ordeal, shared that they have been “lured to vote with empty promises” made by successive politicians that a road to the village will be constructed, but “our wait seems endless.”

The villagers, comprising around twenty households, said they have to traverse the mountainous and rocky terrain to reach homes, while the sick have to be lifted on cots to get them to the hospitals.

“The administration and the politicians who sought our votes on promises of the road never bothered to check on us, leaving us to fend for ourselves,” Irshad Ahamd, a local, said.

The villagers said in case of fire and other exigencies, there was no way they could seek or get any help. “Our houses and the mosque in the village are also without roads,” Ahmad said.

The villagers say they tried to highlight the issue on several occasions, however, “no one seems to heed our requests and understand the hardships we ensure in this modern era.”

Villagers requested the administration officials to visit the village and verify for themselves that there is “no name or trace of any road in this village.”

Irshad said every politician came and made “false promises,” adding, “We have been kept waiting and in despair.”

“Whenever we require ration or construction material, we have to lift them on our backs and climb three kilometers uphill. Is this called living?” Ahmad questioned, adding, “Every villager is crying for the road; why isn’t anyone listening?”

“It is us and our hearts that know how we are suffering,” Ahamd continued narrating the ordeal villagers face.

The villagers claimed that the Block office had been provided 3 lakh rupees for the construction of the road; however, “contractors were refusing to take up the project” claiming the provided amount won’t suffice in completing a road to the village.

The villagers appealed to the administration to look into the issue and resolve the genuine grievances so that “a road to the village is made a reality.” “It will give us new hope as for now our condition is terrible,” Irshad said.