There is no MRI facility at GMC Anantnag.
Due to the lack of a vital MRI facility at Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag, patients in south Kashmir must pay for extra treatment. The locals informed Greater Kashmir that if the patients needed the scan, they would have to go to Srinagar.
They claimed that the patients’ treatment costs had increased dramatically as a result of the facility’s unavailability. A citizen named Mohammad Iqbal said, “For such patients, the private diagnostic centers in Srinagar are the only choice.”
He said that not even in the nearby districts of Shopian or Kulgam was there an MRI facility. According to a physician, the facility’s unavailability affected the referral rates.
He said that “the tertiary care hospitals must be referred to the patients who require such scans, putting additional burden on them.”
Awantipora, Shopian: A power vacuum
The Shopian area of south Kashmir is home to several communities that often experience unexpected power outages. Chitragam, Nagbal, Keshew, and Handew village inhabitants complained about frequent, long-lasting power outages in their communities. They said that during the winter months, their regions were the ideal illustration of government negligence. “During the months of January and February, the power scenario goes further downhill,” Chitragam village resident Mubashir Ahmad said.
He said that human suffering had begun to worsen far in advance of the winter and that one could readily see the circumstances thereafter. According to the neighbors, long power outages mostly affect patients and students. They pleaded with the government to guarantee a smooth electricity supply in these regions.
Awantipora town residents, in the meantime, have voiced their displeasure with the patchy power supply in the region. The locals said that their lives are now terrible as a result of the annoying power outages.
A group of locals said, “We seriously do not know if the power department is following any schedule.” Greater Kashmir was informed by an authority that users have to utilize energy sparingly and abstain from using it without permission.
“Using outdated cooking and heating appliances also has an impact on electricity,” he said.
Lack of water in Meemender
A group of people lamented the acute water scarcity at Bren Colony, Meemander, which is located two kilometers from Shopian town. The locals said that because there was no piped water available, they were compelled to consume the tainted water. They said that drinking unfiltered water will inevitably lead to the development of water-borne illnesses.
“It would be extremely difficult for us to fetch water from the streams or do laundry outside our homes during the frosty winters,” they said. A resident named Nazir Ahmad said that despite their repeated attempts, they received no response from the relevant authorities.
He said that while the Jal Shakti Department had disposed of many pipes in the area, no execution work had yet begun. In order to spare them hardship during the next difficult season, the inhabitants asked the department to install the pipes prior to the start of winter.
