J&K : A woman lawyer from Jammu, Deepika Pushkar Nath, has braved all odds in her fight for justice in the infamous rape-and-murder case of a minor nomad girl in Kathua in 2018, has moved beyond her professional duties to adopt a remote ‘silent’ Paralkot village in the border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir, where majority population is deaf and mute, and improve the living standard of the local population.
“I was touched by the plight of the local population of Paralkot village in Poonch during a visit. The majority of the villagers are deaf and mute, and the entire population lives a miserable life devoid of any basic amenities, including roads, health and special schools for deaf and mute students,” Deepika tells us.
According to her, 350 people live in the remote village, 50-60% of whom are deaf and mute, calling it a “silent village.” The town is scenic, beautiful, and close to the Line of Control (LoC).
“Over the years, there has been no effort from authorities or health department to ascertain the reason behind the village marred by the physical disability. No research has been conducted by any health agency to ascertain the reasons and to suggest remedial measures,” Deepika said.
She has decided to adopt the village and highlight the villagers’ plight at the highest level. “The lack of empathy has compelled me to adopt this village. I will seek help from local, national, and international health bodies to conduct research in the village to ascertain the reason for the disability,” Deepika says.
And how does she endeavour to go about it? “I will be writing to the national and international health agencies and appraising them. I have already written to the Principal of Government Medical College Jammu and other agencies. Considering the sensitivity of the issue, I am hopeful that the health agencies will act, and a team of doctors will be sent to the village to conduct a detailed research and analysis on the reasons behind the significant mute population,” she explains.
“The biggest question is why does the village have a deaf and mute population. The children are born healthy, but after a few years, they lose hearing and speaking power,” she said.
The detailed surveys by a team of doctors, she said, would help identify the underlying causes of prevalent health issues, enabling targeted and effective healthcare solutions. “Continuous follow-up care has to be established to ensure sustained health improvements and prevent relapses.”
She says there are no trained teachers to impart education to the children in the village schools, which are in shambles. “There is no special school in the village to provide education to the deaf and mute students, who are forced to go to normal schools where they fail to understand what is being taught to the children,” she said.
Deepika called for establishing specialised educational facilities with trained teachers to cater to both regular and deaf and mute children. “Besides, vocational training programmes should be started in the educational institutions to empower the deaf and dumb youth and enhance their employment prospects to improve their living standard”.
The village lacks proper road connectivity. “One has to climb the hills to reach the village. Without roads, the villagers must move through mountain ranges to reach their destinations”.
“The non-existence of basic infrastructure has isolated the village economically and socially and cut it off from opportunities for growth and development. In the absence of roads, even the officials don’t visit the village and leave the villagers at the mercy of Almighty,” she said.
Rubbing salt to the wounds of the locals is the absence of any health centre, which has caused villagers to suffer tremendously over the years. “Pregnant women are the worst hit, and many of them have died while scaling mountains and slopes during delivery. The infants have died due to the inability to access timely medical care,” the woman’s lawyer said.
Deepika said she wants to improve their living conditions by adopting the village and highlighting its plight. “I am a professional lawyer, and my practice is my survival. I will do whatever is possible to uplift the villagers of the ‘silent village,’” she said.
The crusader has written to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, urging the Centre for immediate infrastructure development in Paralkot and adjoining villages.
She has sought to construct well-constructed, all-weather roads connecting Paralkot to nearby towns and healthcare facilities and building bridges over streams and rivers that currently isolate the village to ensure safe and reliable access year-round.
‘Need to rethink education for those with special needs’
Deepika says there are no trained teachers to impart education to the children in village schools, which are in shambles. “There is no special school in the village to provide education to the deaf and mute students, who are forced to go to normal schools where they fail to understand what is being taught to the children,” she said, emphasising the need to establish specialised educational facilities with trained teachers to cater to both regular and deaf and mute children. “Besides, vocational training programmes should be started to empower the youth,” she says.