DAWOOD BASHIR
Kishtwar district, which have a glorifying history since the times immemorial, its history dates back to the era of Raja-Maharajas and had also remained a princely state till 1821 AD after which it merged with Udhampur district and become tehsil. It was carved out as a new district from the Erstwhile Doda district in 2007, with a ray of hope for lacs of populace hoping a new era of developmental activities in the area but the aspirations turned to be futile.
Kishtwar district which covers an area of about 7824 Sq. Kms is the third largest district of the state next to Leh and Kargil, it shares its boundary with Himachal pradesh on one side, Zanaskar and Anantnag on the other side and with Doda and Ramban district on the otherside. The geography of the district is very tough and mostly mountainous terrain.
It is connected through all-weather National Highway 1B (244), which due to ill maintenance and repeated rainfall during the last yearhas turned it into a mere link road and due to construction of Baglihar Hydroelectric project (BHEP) which resulted into the formation of drastic lake( catchment area) due to which entire strecth is sinking thereby staking the lives of millions. The urgent need of the hour is the re-alignment of the entire strecth and construction of a tunnel at Sudhmahadev-Marmat and a four way national highway in order to safeguard the interest of over 1.5 million population residing in chenab valley.
It is very unfortunate to say that each and every sectors is in shambless whether its Health department ,Education department ,Revenue department , Tourism department ,PHE department ,PDD, R&B department , ULB, Sports department and the list of departments continues. The staff position in all these departments is too worse to explain.
It comprises of three sub-divisons viz; Marwah,Chatroo and Padder. Kishtwar district has one District Hospital, one CHC, PHCs, sub-centres and no Sub-District Hospital (SDH) has been sanctioned for such a vast and diverse district .Marwah sub-division is having a Community Health Centre (CHC) and remaining two sub-divisions have Primary Health Centres(PHC) as the highest Health institutions in place with no staff at all. Out of the total sanctioned staff only a ver few has been fulfilled that too remains absent adding to the miseries of poor people.
Power scenario is again at it worst, Marwah subdivision which is the largest subdivision comprises of three tehsils is almost totally unelectrified, Padder sub-division is having electricity only in few tehsils wherein 11KV of electricity is laid deapite the fact that 33 KV line has been sanctioned years ago.
Most of the schools in district Kishtwar falls in 3rd and 2nd zone i.e; in hilly areas wherein the staff postion is too loo that too remains absent thereby affecting the studies of poor people badly. Government Degree College (GDC)which was sanctioned way back in 1986 has very few subject combinations, same is the case with Kishtwar campus of Jammu University where the PG subjects are being is of no use because these subjects doesn't even exist at college level. Government Polytechnic College (GPC) is being run on private accommodation, only the land has been identified and construction process haven't seen the day's light.
Despite the fact that the government of J&K created Kishtwar Development Authority (KDA) in order to tap the vast tourism potential but no such efforts are visible on ground and the department has miserably failed in attracting the tourists. The meadows and picturesque beauty of Marwah, Padder,Warwan, Sinthantop,Margantop,Mughal Maidan is needed to be brought on tourist map of India. The snowclad peaks of Kishtwar viz; Cerro,Brahma, Sickle Moon etc are the world famous which attracts foreign mountaineers every year and one noteable inter state link Killar-Kishtwar is also famous globally which also attract many a thousand tourists.
Kishtwar district is very rich in having enormous potential of mineral wealth.Sapphire mines of Padder which are world famous and the work on extraction of mineral was abandoned due to the reason best known to the authorities. It is the only district in Jammu division where saffron is grown economically.
The state of J&K is believed to become the richest state in the South-Asia with highest per capita income that is possible only if the whole of Hydroelectric potential is tapped fully, and the biggest contribution in that way will be of Kishtwar district which is having potential nearing 9000 Mws of hydroelectric potential having following projects in pipeline Ratle,Kiru,Kwar,Pakal Dul, Bursar Kirthaie etc.