Uri’s Hathlanga villagers decry lack of basic facilities

Uri, June 22: Residents of Hathlanga village along Line of Control (LoC) in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district have expressed resentment against the administration for failing to provide adequate facilities to them.

A delegation of locals informed Greater Kashmir that they have been facing hardships due to the dilapidated condition of Saidpora-Hathlanga road.

“The 7-km road has been in a poor condition for the last many years. The road lacks drainage system and protection walls, causing water logging and landslides during rains and snow,” said Talib Hussain, a local.

He added that the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) department used sub-standard material during the road construction. “The road is so narrow and in a bad condition that heavy vehicles cannot ply on it,” he said.

Hussain also criticised the government for failing to reconstruct the Middle School Hathlanga building, which was damaged in the 2005 earthquake.

“Another school has been established in two rooms of an Indian Army tailoring centre in the village, but its location on a hillock has caused many students to stop attending it,” he added.

Mohd Hussain, another local, pointed out that the health sub-center of the village operates from a tin shed.

“The sub-center has been approved in 2015 but no building has been constructed by the department till date despite a local offering the land for the facility,” he said.

Locals alleged that inadequate water supply persists due to the absence of a concrete water supply scheme for the area.

“In fact, Jal Shakti Department employees rarely attend their duties, posted in the village,” they said.

However, a senior official from the Uri administration said that he will look into the matter.