Jammu, Oct 9 (KNS): Residents of the Dachhan area in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir have threatened a political backlash over the prolonged delay in the construction of the Suid bridge and the blacktopping of the road connecting the region, alleging that repeated assurances by the administration have yielded no results on the ground.
The residents, representing six panchayats, said tenders for the road were floated in 2017, but even after years, neither has the road been blacktopped nor has the Suid bridge been constructed. They claimed that officials, including the concerned Executive Engineer (XEN) and Junior Engineer (JE), keep telling them that "work is in progress", but the ground reality tells a different story.
"It is deeply unfortunate that the people continue to suffer despite years of assurances," the residents said in their appeal, adding that six panchayats have been left struggling for basic road connectivity.
They said they were making a "final appeal" to the concerned XEN not to take "undue advantage of our patience, dignity, and peaceful nature", and described the situation as "a matter of grave injustice" that even in today's India, people of the region are being deprived of essential facilities.
The residents alleged that neither the administration nor their elected representatives have paid adequate attention to their plight. They, however, acknowledged that their MLA, Shagun Parihar, had personally visited the area and witnessed the condition of the road and the bridge.
Recalling the region's past, the residents said the people of Dachhan have always stood firmly for the nation and made immense sacrifices during the period of militancy, with many affected families still living among them.
Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel"If elected representatives, including BJP MLAs, are able to participate in democratic politics in these areas today, it is also because of the sacrifices made by ordinary villagers who stood firm during the most difficult times," they said.
"Therefore, let nobody mistake our patience for weakness. The people of Dachhan deserve justice, dignity, and basic facilities, not endless assurances," they added, noting that the issue was not confined to Dachhan alone but concerned the rights and self-respect of people living in remote villages.
The residents made a "sincere but firm appeal" to Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, "in whom we still have hope", to intervene immediately and take up the issue with the concerned Works Commissioner and the Chief Secretary to ensure a time-bound decision on the construction of the Suid bridge and the completion and blacktopping of the Dachhan road.
"Our patience has its limits. If our genuine grievances continue to be ignored, the people will be compelled to reconsider their approach and their political choices. We will not continue to welcome those who remember us only when they need our support. We, too, know how to make our voices heard through democratic means," they said.
The residents summed up their demand in a single line: "We seek action, not assurances; development, not neglect; and justice, not indifference." (KNS)
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