Long ago, in 2015, the Minister of State at the Prime Minister's Office and the Member of Parliament representing Udhampur constituency adopted the unfortunate village of Saddal-Panjar, located in Udhampur District's Pancheri Tehsil. The village had tragically vanished due to a massive landslide on September 6, 2014, claiming the lives of 40 individuals. In 2015, the Union Minister for stealing news headlines announced his commitment to develop Jammu and Kashmir's first smart village on the ruins of the decimated village. This initiative offered a renewed sense of hope to the survivors of the calamity who had endured the tragedy and were desperately seeking a resolution to their plight of living exposed to the elements, as their homes had become relics of the past.
What was promised was next to stars and moon but unfortunately what has been delivered is despair and desolation because till date things are rolling in a tardy manner as leaving aside the beauty salons, beauty parlours, etc. which were promised, the people are still longing for bare minimum facilities with all hopes flickering towards oblivion and no hopes left for those who were given a second chance by the omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent— The God.
It is sad state of affair that what was promised was not delivered despite the fact that the minister who had promised all has the exemplary record of realizing colossal development not only in J&K but across the country especially North East because he was the then Minister of State (Independent charge) in the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
It is pertinent to mention that as many as 40 residents died and 65 houses were damaged in the landslide that hit Saddal-Panjar village in Udhampur district on September 6, 2014. The survivors have been accusing the government of hardly doing anything for those affected by the natural disaster in this far off village in J&K's Udhampur.
The government reportedly have given land chunks to the affected lot but the promise of reconstructing Smart Village with all modern amenities is still a distant dream may be due to insignificant vote share of the place or other commitments of the minister which hold more importance for him than rebuilding a far off village, which was ravaged nearly ten years back.
It is imperative that the government takes heed, reassesses its commitments, and initiates meaningful actions to restore faith and rebuild the lives of those still waiting for a chance to rebuild from the ruins of the past.
