Farooz Ahmad Lone
Srinagar, July 19(KNB): The residents of picturesque Gurez valley of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district put across resentment, complaints in harder terms with reference to the routine round-the-year hardships in the form of life, property loss due to the half-a-year closure of the main road that links it to the rest of the Kashmir valley.
Residents of the Gurez valley have been demanding construction of a tunnel for all-weather connectivity with the outside world. In this connection, many a time they, the residents, have staged protests.
Furthermore, the president of AIP and farmer MLA Langate, Kupwara Er Rashid couple of days back also staged a three-day protest seeking all-weather Karnah and Gurez tunnels sanctioned.
Pertinent to mention, according to reports the Border Road Organization (BRO) conducted a pre feasibility studies pertaining these tunnels. However, the Defence Ministry communicated to the state government that these projects were “not immediate operational priority” and, therefore, not planned to be taken up by the BRO in immediate future.
However, it suggested the state to approach the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway in case if it is necessary.
“For about half a year, we live a pathetic kind of life as we are cut-off from the rest of the world, each year we undergo huge loose dear ones and bear stark economic crisis because we are unable to move to outside in the times of need,” said Nayeem Ahmad, a resident Tulail.
He further said, “As winter approaches, we get caged and all we can do is to stay inside and wait for summer to come. In the meantime if any emergency pops up like delivery cases, we become haplessly helpless.”
As per a survey conducted by Kashmir News Bureau (KNB), the locals undergo immense hardships of daily life. Education is in pathetic condition. Students are compelled to walk even 15 kms to reach school.
The survey reveals that the situation gets unexpectedly worsened as the winter approaches. The residents run out of the very basic facility of life. The healthcare there becomes the first victim and gets affected badly. The result as always is huge life loss.
The survey further states that most of the people have nothing to eat more than potatoes and cereals. They are absolutely unable to work to earn livelihood as the inaccessibility caused by the absence of an all-weather road connectivity confines them in four walls after the snowfall. (KNB)