A village that craves for a bridge, a good school and safe drinking water

Three years ago Bajeera (45) was crossing a log bridge over Ranbiara stream in Kretchpathri hamlet of south Kashmir’s Shopian district when she suddenly lost her balance and fell into the river.

The fast currents of the water swept her away and later herlifeless body was found half a kilometer down the stream.

   

Bajeera was the third resident from the district who wasdevoured by the gurgling stream due to the lack of proper bridge.

Tucked away in towering pine trees, barely six kms from Shopiantown, the sleepy  Kretchpathri village isbereft more or less of all basic amenities of life.

The village comprising 300 households lacks roadconnectivity, safe drinking water and proper education facilities, causinggreat trouble to the residents.

” Not only people died after being carried away by the fast moving waters of the brook, many pregnant women also lost theirlives as they could not reach the hospital on time,” said  Mohammad Hussain Wanna, a  local resident.

Hussain said that due to the lack of a bridge, the residentshave to take a 17 km long difficult circuitous route to get to the districtheadquarters.

He said that despite casting ballot in every election, thearea was always ignored by the political representatives.

“Now the time has come to cut them down to size,”he added, echoing the sentiments of many villagers.

A female student of the village told Greater Kashmir thatmost of the high school and senior secondary school students preferred to putup in Shopian town in rented accommodation as they could hardly show up attheir schools on time when coming from their villages.

“To cross the river on a log bridge is very dicey andtaking another route consumes a big deal of time,” she said.

Shabir Ahmad, another resident said that although thevillage has a middle school, lack of insufficient staff mars the academicactivities.

“There are only two teachers for nearly 150 students.How could they do justice with them?” asked Ahmad.

The residents of this nondescript village are also forced todrink the contaminated water as they do not have access to safe drinking water.

The village women who have to fetch the water claim to bethe worst sufferers.

“We  bear thebrunt of non-availability of safe water. We have to foot a distance of a half kilometer daily  to bring the water from a stream,” saidSheema,  a middle aged woman of thevillage.

She added that during the frosty winters the water-fetchingproved rather an uphill task.

Deputy commissioner Shopian Dr Owais Ahmad told Greater Kashmirthat he had already taken up the matter with authorities concerned and manyprojects regarding the  area were in  the pipeline.

“We will start the work once we get the approval fromthe authorities concerned,” he added.

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