Lack Of Basic Facilities Dragging Down Thatha Hakiman Village

SARGODHA, Jun 3 (APP):The Residents of village Thatha Hakiman,a locality falling under Municipality of Sahiwal, have expressed their dismay over non-provision of long neglected basic amenities of life despite assurances by the authorities concerned time and again. The area was dragging down due to broken roads, choked drainage system, unhygienic drinking water and missing health facilities despite Punjab Ombudsman’s directives to the authorities concerned to ensure facilities in 2013.
Ahmed Nawaz Dhuddi, a resident of the village, said, “Commitments are made, paper work is done years back but on ground there exists a village in isolation, deprived of basic necessities of survival.” Rai Muhammed Qasim, another resident said the Punjab Ombudsman had taken the notice of the situation and directed local administration Sargodha to include the village in Annual Development Projects 2016-17 but residents’ repeated requests were “turned a deaf ear.
The people were facing health problems due to stagnant water around the village, he added. Drainage system on three side of the village had been established, but a big pound filled with drainage water was still existed, he pointed out.
He observed the stagnant water is causing various disease among the residents. “Many people of the village have become victim of Hepatitis due to infiltrated water.”
Muhammed Iqbal, an resident of the area said that cancer,diabetes and heart diseases were very common in rural areas of the district, adding no sufficient medical facilitates were being provided to the people as treatment of these diseases was not affordable for them.
He pointed out that mortality rate was high in rural areas as gynecologists were not deputed in RHC.
The Ombudsman had also directed Provincial Health Secretary through a letter issued on February, 4, 2015 to establish a dispensary in the village but no step has been taken as yet in this regard, informed a resident Haji Ghulam Ali. Comissioner Sargodha, Nadeem Mehboob talking to APP said establishment of a dispensary was on the cards and proposed plan has been forwarded to Provincial Health Department.
In Rural Health Complexes (RHC), doctors were not available during nights, he claimed.
Deputy Commissioner Sargodha in a letter on December 11, 2017 had assured residents to complete feasibility report of the missing facilities to get work started as soon as possible, Ahmed Hassan Dhudi expressing dismay said. “No practical measure has been taken and the authorities concerned were showing no seriousness on the issues, he added.