Unfenced power canal poses threat to people in Kangan
The non fenced water canal of the Upper Sindh hydro power project stage I, in tehsil Gund of Ganderbal district is posing a grave threat to the lives of thousands of people and property here.
According to the locals, the water canal feeding the Upper Sindh Hydro Power House ( USHP) stage II Sumbal is passing through several areas from Kullan to Ganiwan without any fencing or protection walls thus putting the entire population in these areas under threat. “There have been several incidents where locals lost their lives and other property including livestock,” the locals told Greater Kashmir. They said that several times the canal breached resulting in flood like situation in which several residential houses were damaged besides hundreds of kanals of cultivated land turned into barren one. Locals accused Power Development Corporation ( PDC) of playing with the lives of the people by not fencing and covering the power canal despite witnessing several such incidents in the past.
“In March 2013 the same canal breached due to a landslide resulting in damage to several houses besides loss to agricultural land . This was the eighth incident of its kind in the area; many human lives have been lost in the past due to non-seriousness of the concerned department”, locals said.
They further said that if the concerned department had taken the pleas of people seriously and had properly fenced and covered the canal, the loss could have been minimiSed. “We are living in constant danger since the establishment of the canal. The area has witnessed only loss during these incidents,” Mohammad Ayoub a local resident said.
“We are having sleepless nights if there is a slight rainfall as the canal is prone to landslides that can lead to its blockade resulting in its breach,” he said.
Locals demanded that at least the dangerous spots and stretch of the canal should be fenced.
Tourist village Naranag sans mobile connectivity
Tourist village Naranag in Kangan sub division of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district doesnot still have mobile connectivity. Noted for its scenic meadows, lakes and mountains, it is a base camp for trekking to the Mount Haramukh and Gangabal Lake. The residents of Naranag village , having the importance of also being a tourist village, said that they were facing a lot of hardships in absence of any mobile phone connectivity. They said that Naranag did not have mobile connectivity even after its launch across Jammu and Kashmir in 2003. Locals said that in times of digital world and digital India , the village is still lacking mobile connectivity, thus the villagers continue to remain disconnected with the rest of the world. Local residents said that they as well as tourists visiting the area face hardships. The locals said that the mobile phones have become a pivotal tool to stay connected with the people in the world, especially with the near and dear ones. Nonetheless, they said their village is still lacking this facility due to which they are facing tremendous hardships.
Meanwhile, the locals also appealed to the administration to provide the basic network facility in their area as soon as possible.