Water is what makes life possible on this planet. And water is we all cry for. The problem of the shortage of drinking water is taking proportions that were unimaginable sometime back. A place like Kashmir that is bestowed by God with abundant water resources should never have complained about the shortage of drinking water. But believe it or not there are areas, urban as well as rural, where we are facing this crisis. Every other day we come across people from one area or the other complaining about the supply of drinking water. Each time they are assured by the departments concerned that there problems on this count would be resolved soon, but then the same crisis erupts in some other area. This is now a routine affair, and we have got used to it. Ironically, there are many schemes launched by the government to ensure that no such problems are faced by the people, in any of the areas in this region. But despite that, the crisis persist. The news that the Chief Secretary has chaired a meeting pertaining the same problem is a good one. It has been assured that every household in J&K would get tapped drinking water by September 2022. Taking a review of the centrally sponsored scheme, Jal Jeevan Mission, we are informed that the department is working for the fast track execution of the same project. It is true that in the process of providing safe drinking water to every household we have come a long way. But there are certainly some areas where the government needs to fix problems and make benefits of the schemes like Jal Jeevan Mission reach the people in the length and breadth of the region. To this end it is mandatory to review the progress made, and also take inputs from the actual beneficiaries of these schemes. The officers working on the ground must ensure that the people are updated about the progress in such schemes. A vibrant connection between the people and the officers at helm can work wonders when it comes to the implementation of schemes.
As a matter of right
