In this modern era of science and technology, several regions in the Kishtwar constituency remain neglected by central and state governments. Whom can the residents of the district blame? Many of the residents still live like ‘early cavemen’ and they are being deprived of basic rights.
In my conversations with the people in this region, I learned that there is no proper road connectivity to the area which means that patients or pregnant women often have to be carried to the Kishtwar District Hospital from where they are taken to Government Medical College, Jammu.
The residents also added that in the case of emergencies or accidents they often have no way to reach the hospital for treatment. In terms of development, roads are often considered to be the backbone of a region because they improve connectivity, but unfortunately, Marwah Dachan Warwan is still not connected with District Headquarter Kishtwar or the rest of the state. While road construction began over a decade ago, it is unclear to the people who are responsible for the completion of the project.
The educational system is completely defunct in Marwah Dachan Warwan as only Government Higher Secondary school is established from last several decades that is running in spite of a lack of proper classrooms, playgrounds and other necessary educational systems. There is limited scope for students who do complete 12th standard as they don’t have the financial means to live in rented accommodations in Kishtwar or Anantnag.
The region also faces water scarcity, and access to safe drinking water is a serious concern because a proper water pipeline has not been installed since independence. The residents often resort to fetching water from nearby springs.
Besides the above-mentioned issues, residents face an acute shortage of essential commodities including rice, atta, sugar, kerosene oil and LPG Gas as they don’t receive rations on a monthly quota basis.
Even though the residents fall under the category of Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribe and other backward classes, the residents of Marwah Dachan Warwan do not get the benefits from various sponsored schemes. Various central schemes aimed at improving the conditions of rural areas have failed to address the issues faced by the people of this Kashmiri district. From the Swatch Bharat Abhiyan to the Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) schemes, none have attempted to improve the living conditions of these people.