Waripora (Pattan) Jan 4: Inhabitants of Waripora Payeen in this north Kashmir area are up in arms against the non-availability of the basic amenities in the village.
 Located at the bank of Nallah Frashar, the village is at a distance of 16 kms from district quarters and 1 km  away from Kreeri tehsil.
 The village has a population of nearly 1000 souls. This picturesque village is rich in scenic beauty. Its meadows and gushing streams add to its charm but it is craving for attention.
 Residents alleged that this village has been neglected by the successive regimes and no one has paid any attention towards developing it.     
 They said they face unscheduled power cuts, drink contaminated water and their village is without healthcare facilities. "We have been totally neglected by the authorities, we have no facility here, be it electricity, drinking water, hospital etc, we are facing discrimination in every sphere of life,” said Farooq Ahmad,  Numberdar of the village.
 "Despite paying electricity bills, we face unscheduled power cuts. Low voltage adds to our problem, our schools and roads are in dilapidated condition," he added.
 Resident said that they are forced to drink contaminated water from a nearby stream (Farashar Nallah).
 "We were promised Sadak, Bijli and Pani by the politicians at the time of election but their promises proved to be a hoax," they said.
 The village is also without a dispensary due to which the locals have to rush to SDH Kreeri in case of emergency. "We are facing hardships because we don't have a dispensary here, in case of emergency we have to rush to Kreeri," the locals said.
 “Village also lags behind in education,” said Riyaz Rabbani, who is the first graduate and the first government employee of the village. "Our schools are in dilapidated condition. We are still living in the dark ages authorities have failed to mitigate our sufferings."
 Residents accused successive regimes of ignoring the village. “No one has ever paid any attention towards the development of this hamlet. So many regimes came and went but nothing was done to upgrade the standard of living of the people,” locals said.
 Accusing district administration of neglecting the area locals said: "Officers appear if some politician visits the area. They are never seen in normal days."
 Meanwhile repeated attempts to contact District Development Commissioner Baramulla proved futile as he didn’t pick up the phone.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 4 Jan 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 4 Jan 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 5 Jan 2013 00:00:00 IST