Election 2019: How PDP’s Failure in Infrastructure Development Weakened Its Base in Pulwama

(This is Part 1 of this story. Read Part 2.)

Upset, sad, helpless, needy and crumbled. These words don’t even begin to explain the situation of the people in Pulwama – a highly active militant zone – which continues to make the headlines. 

Pulwama is situated at a distance of 36.5 kilometre from Srinagar in South Kashmir. It used to be one of the most crucial vote hubs for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), but the wind has now changed. What is it that is weakening PDP’s base in Pulwama?

After the death of former CM Mufti Mohammad Syed – or Mufti Sahib, as he is remembered by his party members – his daughter Mehbooba Mufti, who had sworn in as a CM, called every project started by his government ‘Mufti Sahib Ka Khwaab’ (Dream of Mufti Sahib). However, most of his dreams remain unfulfilled in Pulwama.

In 2002, the state was under the chief ministership of Mufti Syed. Located on the bank of river Jhelum, Dogripora, a remote village from the Pulwama district almost 42.2 kilometres from Srinagar was in bad shape, due to the absence of every possible necessity like roads, electricity, water supply and infirmary. PDP’s member of legislative (MLA) from Pulwama constituency, Abdul Khalil Bandh, would head the rallies and motivate people to vote, as he promised “development”. He did the same in Dogripora, a village comprising 800 households. People from Dogripora cast their votes in spite of threats from the militants. They hoped for large-scale development in their area. Khalil registered a victory, along with the PDP. But when it was time to deliver what was promised, Khalil was nowhere to be found, say locals.

“Once in power, political dancers of the PDP vanished into the thin air. We paid many visits to their residences,” says Mohamad Ibrahim Dar, a sexagenarian.

Like the other politicians, Khalil would make people wait for hours at his residence, and would give them only five minutes to talk about their issues.

An eight-kilometre road, connecting Dogripora with Pulwama and Anantnag, was constructed, but it wasn’t macadamised. Villagers were forced to walk 8 kilometre daily to reach the nearest bus stand.

When people complained about the bad roads and the lack of transport facility in the area, the government tried to deviate the villagers by sanctioning a bridge which would connect their village to the Srinagar-Jammu highway at a distance of 300 meters from the village.

“It was a good initiative, the project of Rs 18 crore was granted to the village. The work had started too. But after a few months, it stopped. Feeling frustrated, I, accompanied by other villagers, went to Khalil and narrated the issue. But there was no response except for “Kar lengey (we will do it)”,” says Ibrahim. 

The intermittent construction stopped altogether in 2005, according to the locals. For the next three years, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir was Ghulam Nabi Azad. During his tenure, no construction took place in Dogripora, and Khalil put the blame on Azad’s government for the incomplete projects.

“Khalil would come and fool people by blaming others. He would ask people to vote for PDP, and see the change,” says Ibrahim. For the next 10 years, PDP could not have a chief minister in the state. Nonetheless, the roads in and around Dogripara continued to be in ruins.

Also read: Elections 2019: Who Will Kashmiris Vote For This Time?

Nazir Ahmad Dar, a 30-year-old driver, recalls an event from 2013 when a pregnant woman was forced to deliver her baby in his car.

On March 13, 2013, Nazir was sleeping in his home at night when he heard loud bangs on his door. Nazir rushed to door and found it was one of his neighbours. “He told me his daughter is in labour pain and we have to go to the Lal Ded hospital,” said Nazir.

Nazir quickly grabbed the keys of his car and left for the hospital. The nearest maternity hospital, Lal Ded is 47 kilometre away. After they had driven only for a few metre, the pregnant woman delivered the baby in the car, seemingly due to the extreme jerks caused by the rough roads. The baby fell on the floor of the car, which caused severe head injuries to the infant’s head.

 “Since then, the baby has been suffering from improper cerebral circulation and many other brain-related issues,” said Nazir.

In Dogripora, the key income source for most of the villagers is farming and mining sand from river Jhelum.

Dogripora villagers using boats for transportation. Photo courtesy Zubair Sofi

In 2014, Kashmir faced one of the worst ever floods that destroyed moveable and immoveable property worth millions of rupees. Being on the banks of river Jhelum, Dogripora was completely destroyed. More than 500 cows were killed due to the flood, and around 300 houses were completely destroyed, according to the villagers.

“We could have saved our cattle if the bridge would have been completed. Boats which people used for digging the sand from Jhelum came to our rescue. They transported us to safer locations,” said Ibrahim.

On March 1, 2015, PDP came back to power, as it formed a coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Mufti Syed became the CM of the state for the second time. Construction of the bridge near Dongripora resumed, and partial macadamisation of the roads took place.

However, on January 7, 2016, Mufti died due to multiple organ failure and adenocarcinoma, and after 88 days, Mehbooba swore in as the CM of the state.

During her tenure, there has been no development in terms of construction in Dogripora. In the past 17 years, only partial two pillars of the bridge have been constructed. People cross the giant Jhelum using boats.

However, Dogripora isn’t the only village in Pulwama abandoned by the PDP.

Also read: Kashmir Descending into Chaos and the Role it can Play in 2019 Elections