Tauseef Ahmad
Bandipora: Fourteen years after Mohd Ashraf Khan, a resident of Gujran village in the Gurez valley of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, gave his land free of cost for the construction of a hospital building, he is yet to get the promised government job or the cost of his land. The promise has not been filled after fourteen years.
While narrating his story, Khan said that in 2008, the department of health approached him for the construction of a new type of primary health centre in Gujran village with the ‘assurance’ that he would be absorbed permanently into the health department or he would be given money for their land. However, fourteen years later, he wasn’t given either a job or money for their land.
He claimed that the department had forgotten them after taking precious land from him. “Disappointed by the attitude of the health department, I have no option but to close the hospital gate if the government fails to give the price for their land, or provide some job to me as I don’t have any source of income without this land,” he added while talking to Kashmir Despatch.
He also said that earlier, I used this land for farming purposes and I earned well from it. Now it looks like I can’t help my family anymore as I have only this piece of land I had taken from the health department.
He appealed to the district administration of Bandipora and concerned authorities to look into the matter and resolve their issue as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, when contacting BMO Gurez, she was not available immediately. After several calls from the said reporter.
