'Unfortunately, She Fell Ill, But There's No Road': Woman Carried On Shoulders To Hospital In Snowed In Jammu Kashmir Village
Elderly Fatima from Passer village needed urgent medical attention after she suffered a fall throwing a tough challenge to the family amid lack of road.
By ETV Bharat Jammu & Kashmir Team
Published : January 6, 2026 at 1:16 PM IST
By Mohd Ashraf Ganie
Jammu: Beyond the tourists' delight on fresh snowfall at higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir, the precipitation is overwhelming for many in the region. An ill woman at Passer village in Kishtwar district was carried by locals on a makeshift stretcher to take her to the nearby health facility in absence of road connectivity.
The ordeal of the woman and the villagers came to light after one of the villagers filmed the harrowing experience on a mobile phone and uploaded it on social media. ETV Bharat has learnt that the woman patient was taken on the makeshift stretcher from Passer village to Community Health Centre (CHC) Nowpachi on Monday due to the absence of road connectivity.
The patient, identified as Fatima Banu, wife of Ghulam Ahmed Lone, required urgent medical attention but could not be transported by vehicle as no road access exists in the area. The villagers carrying the patient on shoulders alleged that while promises were frequently made by the local leadership, especially on social media platforms, there had been little to no progress on the ground.
Block Medical Officer, Dachan, Dr Sajad told ETV Bharat that the woman had suffered a fall adding she was stable. He said that the woman was carried by locals on the makeshift stretcher for 5 KM from the hilly terrain to the health centre.
In the video of the ordeal, the youth identifying himself as Sheikh Muzammil filming the video says that he wanted to convey to the political representatives of the Inderwal constituency, including the MLA, the plight of the people while accusing politicians of hobnobbing during elections for seeking votes while people continue to suffer.
“Unfortunately, she fell ill, but there is no road connectivity here. Now our leadership should watch this, because we face a lot of hardship. There is a lot of snow and Margan is closed. Leaders should know what they are doing on ground level. They come during elections and promise the sky, but do nothing on ground level,” Muzammil says in the video.
When ETV Bharat asked the concerned MLA Inderwal, Pyare Lal Sharma for his comments about the matter, he said, “The demand of the people carrying the patient is genuine, the population of the village is more than 250 people” adding he had already taken up the issue of the road three months ago.
“The road was sanctioned, and now in the month of March, road construction work will be started,” he said.
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