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Udhampur : Residents in Udhampur’s Bant village in Jammu and Kashmir are “facing difficulties” after a key bridge was washed away due to heavy rain. Visuals showed a group of locals carrying an auto rickshaw on their shoulders to cross a river as they have no “means of transportation”
Des Raj, a local, claimed that the bridge had been washed away after 10 years, making an additional appeal to the government for assistance.
“After almost 10 years, this bridge was washed away due to heavy rains… We all approached every department… We even went to the DC and even appealed to the MLA, but no one has listened to us… I appeal to the government to ensure that the voice of the poor reaches the Centre. The children and people who are ill are facing the most difficulties… We have no means of transportation. It takes us four hours on foot from here to Samaroli…” Raj said.
Another local complained of receiving no help from any department.
“… School children, sick people, everyone has to be carried across the river. It’s a very deep river. No department has helped us at all… It’s scary to cross the river, but what else can we do?” he added.
Meanwhile, Bhaderwah region in the state has also faced an unprecedented downturn, with popular tourists spot remaining deserted due to natural calamities like cloudbursts and flash floods and the recent militant attacks.
Local residents, heavily reliant on tourism for their livelihoods, are urging the government to intervene and revive the industry.
Yasir, a local dependent on tourism, said, “I’ve been working in tourism [sector] for the last 8-10 years. I’ve never seen such conditions in the last eight years. In the past two years, the situation has been dire. You can see the silence here. After the Pahalgam attack, there were absolutely zero tourists for two and a half months. Then, after the summer season arrived, 30 per cent of our tourists came here. However, after that, many people suffered losses due to cloudbursts and flash floods in Kishtwar. No one wants to come here anymore.”
He further urged the MLA to address the issue of Bhaderwah’s tourism in the Assembly and organise festivals to boost tourism.
“I want our MLA to raise the issue of Bhaderwah in the upcoming Assembly session. We don’t want government jobs. The issue of tourism must be raised in the Assembly. I want to request the CO to organise a festival here that will attract people.” (Agencies)
