KARNAH, KUPWARA: While the Central Government’s recent approval of ₹10,637 crore for 19 road and tunnel projects in Jammu & Kashmir has sparked celebration across much of the region, two villages in the Karnah Tehsil — Seemari and Kadhama — say they’ve been left in the shadows.
For residents here, the announcements feel less like progress and more like a painful reminder of decades of neglect. “We cast our votes with hope, but our voice was never carried to the corridors of power,” said one elder from Seemari, his tone heavy with resignation. The anger is not just at Srinagar or Delhi — local criticism is squarely aimed at the MLA of Karnah, accused of failing to even table their demands in the development plans.
Despite Karnah’s challenging geography, often cut off in winters, these two villages have repeatedly petitioned for better roads and connectivity. It takes normally 3 hours by foot to reach these villages and also there is no proper path to walk by foot .Yet, as tunnels and flyovers worth thousands of crores are greenlit elsewhere — including the high-profile Sadhana Tunnel to connect Karnah — Seemari and Kadhama remain excluded from the blueprint.
Locals say the oversight is more than an administrative lapse; it’s a betrayal of trust. “They come for our votes, promise us roads, and disappear until the next election,” a youth from Kadhama remarked, vowing that the community would not stay silent.
As bulldozers prepare to break ground in other parts of North Kashmir, Seemari and Kadhama stand at the edge — watching development pass them by, yet again.
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