Kupwara: The residents of Palpora Qaziabad village of Handwara Monday held a protest against the Jal Shakti department for failing to ensure regular supply of potable drinking water to the area for the past several months.
Carrying wooden logs, a group of residents including women staged a protest on the Handwara-Baramulla road, bringing traffic to a complete halt.
The protesters staged a sit-in raising slogans against the Jal Shakti department.
They alleged that the area was reeling under acute shortage of water for the past several days yet the authorities had failed to restore water supply or take any tangible measure despite repeated pleas.
The protesters said that the Jal Shakti department had taken them for a ride, leaving them with no option but to stage the protest.
They said that they had taken up the issue with the concerned authorities on several occasions in the past but to no avail.
“We have been forced to hit the streets as the government has failed to mitigate out problems,” said a protestor.
The protestors said that they would get drinking water from wells in their courtyards but due to the prevailing heat wave, they too had dried up and resultantly people were suffering.
“We need to pay Rs 500 on alternate days to tractors or load carriers to fetch drinking water from a local Nallah,” said a protestor. “I am unable to figure out why the authorities are silent with regard to providing us potable drinking water.”