By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL; Health sector was found to be the most neglected sector but that of education was in its best in Torkhow valley of upper Chitral as evident from the number of complaints in the khuli kutcheries held in four different places by district administration.
The people in Warijun, Shagram, Khot and Rech villages complained to Chitral DC Irshad Sodhar that they faced the absence of doctor in their local hospitals since long while dilapidated condition of hospital buildings and lack of diagnostic facilities were also reported.
They said that the local people had to travel to the district headquarters hospital for primary healthcare facilities which were supposed to be available in the rural health centre or basic health unit of the villages.
The residents of Shagram complained of exorbitant charges of treatment in the rural health centre which was being run by Aga Khan Health Service on public-private partnership basis where Rs 120 is charged for OPD chit while the rate of diagnostic tests were more than five times greater than that fixed by the government.
Not a single complaint against the secondary schools was heard regarding the lack and absence of teachers, lack of physical infrastructure or other facilities in the schools which showed a better performance in the sector by the government which is a fag end of its tenure.
In the remote area of Torkhow bordering with Wakhan of Afghanistan in the north, the people were found aghast to see the district officers of various departments and termed it first of its nature in the area when a DC had arrived there with a contingent of officers to acquaint himself of their problems.
The heap of complaints were hurled by the people attending the khuli kutchery in all the four spots on the departments of communication and works, public health engineering, veterinary and livestock, food and tehsil municipal administration.
The inordinate delay in the completion of Booni-Torkhow road started ten years ago and the dilapidated condition of the roads in Khot, Rech, Melp and Ujnu were the most talked-about complaints by the people who cried hoarse of the indifference of the government towards their plight.
The common problem as depicted by those attending the kutcheries was that no officer or official of any department bothers to visit Torkhow area which affected adversely the quality and speed of development works being carried out by the government in different sectors on one hand and the fall of service standard on the other.
The poor quality of service of telenor mobile telephone Company was complained of in every seating which was the only source of communication in the remote area to contact with the people in other parts of the country.
In Khot valley, the people complained that on the behest of an influential person, the public polo ground was being encroached upon to construct shops there which were the only place where youth folk played games.
They also demanded upgradation of the 40-year old high school to higher secondary status, removal of infested wheat from the godown of food department, conduct inquiry into the substandard construction of water supply scheme and construction of bulwark to protect the village from floods and posting of staff in the veterinary dispensary.
Addressing the gatherings of the kutheries, DC Irshad Sodhar said that soon after taking charge, some months ago, he had determined to reach nook and corner of the district known for its vastness so that the problems faced by the people could be heard in their doorsteps.
He said that short before winter season, he visited the last village of Baroghil valley and covered almost all the thirty six valleys within a short span of six months and made the officers of different departments answerable to the people regarding their problems.
Responding to the people’s demand, he ordered the assistant commissioner Mastuj to ensure the presence of tehsildar and conducting camp court of a magistrate in Torkhow every week and the visit of district officer of every department on monthly basis was mandatory.
Mr. Sodhar said that work on the much-awaited Booni-Torkhow road had been restarted with new zest and zeal and breakthrough of the 4-kms hilly portion had been done whose progress he was personally monitoring since his posting six months ago.
Mir Gulzar, a former member of zilla council in 1980s from Khot and Rech valleys, said that the visit of a deputy commissioner with district heads of various departments to the remote area of Torkhow had filled the people with hopes of prosperity caused by the solution of their collective issues.
