Authories reluctant towards Bhalessa's Development

Notwithstanding claims of the successive state governments to accelerate developmental activities in the remotest areas of the Jammu region, the Bhalessa area of Doda district exposes all claims of the authorities to take "revolutionary" steps for the development and betterment of the neglected and the remote areas.

However, the area is evidence that except slogans the authorities failed to speed up road connectivity. If one goes deep in the remote areas of Doda district, the real picture exposes claims of the authorities.Bhalessa still become prey of discrimination by the successive. The residents still confront the inconveniences due to the bad roads.

People seemed out of the so called e-governance projects and slogans of reaching the unreached. The area witnessed five accidents from last three years due to wrost condition of roads.

Despites the increase in road accidents and knowing that it often results in fatal accidents overloading in allowed in hilly terrines of Doda district. Take an example of June 6, 2000, At least 11 people were feared dead and 15 others injured as a bus rolled down a road and fell into a gorge at Manoi Bhatyas.

In 17 January 2009, At least 11 people were feared dead and 15 others injured as a bus rolled down a road and fell into a gorge on the same road.

In August 2009 accident on this road, two children were killed and 30 others got injured when a matadoor plunged into 350 feet deep gorge at Bathri The area is witnessing several accidents of mini buses since two years.

That time too several precious lives were lost but nothing more than condoling the deaths and expressing shocks and grief were done by government and any authority. Regrettably no one tried to look into the root cause of accidents and came out with a plan or suggestion to decrease the frequency of accidents.

It is pertinent to note here that Thathri Kilhotran road has been taken up for Improvement, up gradation by way of providing and laying 50 mm thick bituminous macadam 20 mm thick premix carpet and providing laying WBM grade IIIin stretches for surface connections in km 1st to 5th. But what to speak of the progress, the road is still wrost since two years and its condition has gone from bad to wrost as the concerned agency lacks interest to complete the project.

The form of the land is rugged and mountainous surrounded by the sprawling mountains that one can reach Gandoh and Neeli Illaqa in difficult mode.

Owing to such depilating and narrowness of the road the area faced fatal accidents. "The State government and its related departments have failed to avert these tragedies in Doda district. We condemn this callous attitude of the administration" added a local shopkeeper Shah Nawaz.

The people said that it is for more than seven times that the area became prey of accidents but till date the area has not been provided any kind of transportation by the government. The people said that private Tata sumos are plying in the area but the people lack any kind of governmental support. The area is facing acute shortage of buses.

With regard to the developmental initiatives, about a dozen villages in the Gandoh belt, comprising a population of 30,000, solely depend upon a wooden bridge which cannot bear burden of more than three persons at one time. This wooden bridge is known as Shoran-Chili Bridge and constructed under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) scheme. Other areas like Thaloran-Kilhotran nullah, there is no bridge as the Children are not in a position to pass the nullah to reach nearby schools.

Although Gandoh is the native place of Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, majority of the villages in this belt lack facility of drinking water, electricity. One has to regularly track a distance of not less than 5 km on foot to reach the road.

Moreover, Dadkai village which is known for deaf and dumb population and teams of expert regularity visit this hamlet to check out strategy for rehabilitation of such families. Outsiders, who visit our belt, are surprised to see road connectivity in this area.

With every passing problems of the inhabitants of this belt have been increasing but promises of the politicians remained only on paper.

"Our problems and demands remain unsolved and unfulfilled. We have been crying and trying to raise our voice, but our voices remained unheard" pointed an elderly, Abdul Rehman.

The local people have demanded that more SRTC buses be deployed to the area so that students may not suffer any more. Locals have lashed the government for its failure in preventing the area from accidents.

The area need to be brought under special economic initiatives of the central and state governments so as to achieve the slogan of reaching the unreached.

Sadaket Malik is a freelance Columnist based in Bhalessa and can be contacted at