Kishtwar June 24: Senior National Conference (NC) leader and former minister Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo on Sunday said that Kishtwar is facing acute shortage of drinking water and people are forced to fetch it from hand pumps and streams by traveling lot of distance.
In a statement, Kichloo said that the inhabitants of Kishtwar have to travel a lot to reach the hand pumps to fetch water to meet their daily needs.
He said that the women of Kishtwar and its adjoining areas have been facing lot of problems by travelling several kilometers to fetch water.
The residents of Pocchal, Hatta, Sangrabata, Malipath , Shaheedi road Kishtwar, Link Road, Tund, Hidyal, Sarkoot and interior areas of the Kishtwar town are forced to come on streets to demand water in their areas, he said.
He lamented that the concerned department has been supplying drinking water on discriminatory basis and not giving any heed to the grievances of the people.
Kichloo said that during the month of holy Ramadan, people faced acute shortage of drinking water as PHE Department failed in ensuring regular water supply.
He asked the district administration to constitute a task force for checking the illegal supply of water to the influential persons, so that the people in general get regulated supply.
‘No supply since month’
Several villages of Kishtwar namely Indra Nagar, Hullar, Poohi, Kuleed, Zellna, Sanghrambhata, Cherhar and other adjoining villages have been facing severe water shortage with people alleging that the concerned Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department has failed to solve the crisis despite repeated reminders and requests.
The residents of affected villages complained that they are facing lot of problems since the last more than a month in meeting their day to day water requirements.
Villagers told Greater Kashmir that they also held several protests demanding safe drinking water but the concerned PHE Department is least bothered to solve their genuine problem.
The villagers demanded restoration of water supply failing which they warned to launch an agitation.
“We have to travel around a kilometer to fetch drinking water from tube wells for cooking and drinking purposes. We will be forced to intensify protests if authorities fail to restore water supply at the earliest,” they warned.
The people also alleged that water is supplied in selected areas on political considerations.