Uri’s Hathlanga residents demand opening of ration depot

Uri, June 30: Residents of Hathlanga village along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district have sought the establishment of a separate ration depot.

Locals informed Greater Kashmir that they have been facing multiple challenges due to the absence of a ration depot in the village.

“No depot has been established by the concerned department till date in our village. We are forced to travel nine kilometers to Saidpora area to collect our ration,” said Talib Hussain, a local. “The sumo drivers charge us Rs 100 per ration bag to transport it to our village. We cannot afford such expenses regularly,” he added.

Another resident, Mohd Hussain, highlighted the difficulties faced during winters when the area is covered in snow.

“The area gets cut off from the tehsil headquarters for almost a month due to hilly terrain and snowfall. During this time, obtaining ration becomes extremely challenging due to road closure. Sometimes, we are forced to walk kilometers to get the ration supplies,” he explained.

Locals have appealed to Director CA&PD Kashmir and Assistant Director CA&PD Baramulla to address this issue on priority. However, a senior official from the Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution (CA&PD) Department in Baramulla said that they will consider the establishment of a ration depot according to the applicable guidelines.