Pangi residents cite ‘shoddy’ civil works, demand accountability

Residents of Pangi valley have raised serious concerns over poor execution of development and welfare schemes in the region. In a memorandum submitted to the Resident Commissioner, Pangwal Ekta Manch, a forum of Pangi people, has called for immediate action and transparent monitoring of all ongoing works in the tribal area.

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Citing the example of Mauji village in the valley, where locals recently had to make a path through a glacier on their own, Pangwal Ekta Manch chairman Trilok Thakur said the situation was similar elsewhere as every village connected through a pedestrian pathway is facing neglect. “Departments make plans on paper, but there’s little wok on the ground,” said Trilok Thakur.

He also pointed to the poor condition of roads, drinking water and irrigation schemes, besides unreliable electricity supply and old buses of HRTC. “Even 500 kW of regular power distribution is not happening. And no new buses are sanctioned for the Pangi sub-depot,” Thakur added.

“We demand formation of a High-Powered Committee at the ITDP level, including representatives from non-governmental organisations, to oversee the implementation of all developmental projects in the valley,” said Bhagat Barotra, co-chairman of the forum.

The Project Advisory Committee (PAC) under the ITDP should be empowered with monitoring authority. “Let this committee submit neutral, fact-based progress reports directly to the Resident Commissioner. We want field-level accountability, not just file reviews in offices,” he said.

The Manch added that local MLA Dr Janak Raj should be regularly updated to ensure that valley-specific issues are raised in the Assembly.