SOUTH KASHMIR DIARY

Power cuts irk Awantipora residents

Awantipora town of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district is witnessing prolonged  power outages causing much inconveniences to the residents, traders and students in the area.

According to the residents, the frequent unscheduled power cuts, which last for hours, have become a norm during this season.  “The area has been experiencing recurring power cuts since the beginning of this month”, said Javed Ahmad, a resident from Awantipora town.

He said that it was very unfortunate that despite paying their power bills on time they had to face pesky power cuts.

Ahmad said that students and businessmen had to bear the brunt of an erratic power supply.

Abid Hussain, a university student said that they were putting up in rented rooms and it was very difficult for them to study in the absence of a seamless power supply.

“Things will worsen further during the winters if the same power scenario persists”, said Hussain.

A shopkeeper told Greater Kashmir that they had to down their shutters a bit earlier in the absence of electricity.  The residents, student community and traders have appealed to the authorities to improve the power scenario in the area.

Maldeera residents demand piped water supply

Residents of Maldeera village , some 14 kms from Shopian town, have  complained that the area is without  piped water for the last many years.

Many residents told Greater Kashmir that they were using the water from tube wells, but it had affected their health.  They said that from the last seven years they had been facing the worst water crisis.

According to the residents, following the intervention of the Deputy Commissioner, the authorities started laying the water pipes in the area, but the work was suddenly stalled.

“Initially some orchardists had objected to the laying of pipes through their farms, but the issue was later sorted out”, said the residents.

They said that now they were clueless about the stoppage of the work.  An official from the Jal Shakti department, however, said that the work would resume soon.

PHC in Devsar Kulgam awaits completion

The much -awaited building of a Primary Health Centre ( PHC) in Devsar tehsil of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district has been awaiting completion for the last 15 years.

The construction work, according to the residents, started in 2008 and has yet to reach completion. They said that the facility presently operates from an old building constructed by the Forest Department some 4 decades ago.

“In the absence of adequate infrastructure, the medical staff at the facility refer the patients to other hospitals on trivial health issues”, said the residents. They said that they approached the authorities many times but to no avail.

According to the residents, the crucial facility caters to a significant population. Pertinently, the tehsil, as per 2011 census, has a population of 31893 of which 16873 are males and 15020 are females.

The residents appealed to the LG administration to expedite the construction work of the building.