Pattan: Scores of residents from Hanjevera, Reshipora area of Pattan in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district Saturday protested against the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department for failing to provide adequate water supply to their area.

The residents blocked the main Baramulla-Srinagar road for several hours to mark a protest against the department.

The aggrieved residents chanted slogans against the department and demanded immediate redressal of their genuine grievances.  

The protesters alleged that PHE Division Pattan is ignoring their sufferings, saying that from the past two months, they are being deprived of adequate water supply.

“Our area is facing water crisis since last two months, resulting in immense hardships to the residents. We are being forced to take to streets,” said a local resident, Mohammad Ismail, adding that “most of the times, our women flock have to travel to a larger distance for obtaining portable drinking water.”

Rafeeqa Begum, another resident said that despite several requests to the PHE department, the authorities are ignoring them. “We are being forced to fetch unclean water from nearby stream, which is not good for our health,” she said.

Later, Tehsildar Singhpora and SDPO Pattan assured the protestors about the fulfillment of their demands, the protesters dispersed peacefully.

However, the protesters threatened to stage protest in case their demands will not be fulfilled.

Guest