HARIPUR, Oct 17: Situated in the northeast of the district headquarter at a 15-minute walking distance from Grand Trunk Road near Sera-i-Saleh is a most neglected village of Gaar.

A glance at the state of affairs of its infrastructure depicts that over 5,000 inhabitants of the village have failed to draw the attention of their representatives and the district administration towards their plight from which they have long been suffering.

During a visit to Gaar, this correspondent was totally shocked and taken aback to see that the village lacked basic amenities despite having the potential of contributing a considerable share in the agro-based economy of the country.

Situated by the side of the Dor River, this scenic village does not have the facilities of healthcare, education, potable water and farm-to-market roads.

The main agriculture produce of the village are vegetable, including cauliflower, garlic, onion and turmeric, but unfortunately, the villagers face great hardships in marketing their produce, as they do not have any motorable route to the market other than the river-bed.

Rain or no rain, people of every age and sex have to cross the river by bracing against its water and inclemency in the absence of a bridge for connecting the village to the other side of the district.

More often than not, it has been observed that the village, which is covered by hillocks from three sides, becomes paralysed whenever the river turns violent and hits the villagers, particularly during the rainy season.

It has also been observed that the villagers have to wait for hours and students and government employees often remain absent from schools and offices due to high flood in the river.

Besides, patients are taken across the river on shoulders by their relatives, as they do not have any shorter passage to any of the district hospitals. In case of emergency, one can well imagine the plight of these miserable souls.

The village has another hilly and bumpy route to its left, leading to the Changi Bandi village, but the villagers have to walk about one kilometre on the rough, hilly terrain to get to the route.

“Actually they consider us cattle, that’s why they have never bothered to consider seriously the construction of a bridge”, said Zoobia, a class X student, who walks across the river-bed twice a day to get to her school with a number of other girl and boy students.

Sera-i-Saleh union council Raza Mohammad told Dawn that when some archeological cites of the time of Taimurlane had been discovered in the village, the people had hoped of good days, but it had proved a mere dream and nothing had changed the fate of the people of Gaar.

He pointed out that apart from the absence of a bridge, the people faced another big problem of soil erosion, which had put their only source of livelihood, farming, at stake.

He said that some 300 acres of land of small farmers had been swept away by the river. He feared that if the river embankments were not repaired and strengthened, the constant devastation of the fertile land would one day deprive the entire population of its only source of livelihood.