PAMPORE: The residents of Gujjar basti in Bajnadi Khrew village of Pampore area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district are without a proper water supply with women having to walk several kilometers to fetch water.
What adds to the woes is that the village is located in Khrew area around 15 kilometers from Pampore has no motorable road and residents here have to walk long distances each day to fetch drinking water.
Lateef Ahmad, a resident of Bajnadi told Kashmir Reader that their locality, which comprises around 30-40 households, has no road connectivity from Khrew.
“We have to walk six kilometers on foot to reach Khrew, that too on a dilapidated road” he said, adding it becomes very difficult to tread on the path in rain or snow.
He added that a tube well was sanctioned for the village years ago but the concerned agency left it incomplete.
“With no drinking water facility, we have to walk three kilometers to fetch drinking water from premises of a private cement factory,” he said.
The residents added that they have been pleading before authorities for many years for providing them these basic facilities but to no avail.
The residents appealed to higher authorities to look into the matter and redress their grievance.
Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) PHE sub division Pampore Nawaz Ahmad Bhat told Kashmir Reader that Bajnadi village is located at an elevation.
“A three stage lift scheme has been framed under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) for the village which is directly been supervised from Chief office at Srinagar,” he said this scheme would take some time
Adding that they are working on a temporary arrangement for the village till the scheme gets completed.
“We will provide them some pipes and a tank for storing water under temporary arrangement soon,” he said.

BILAL HABIB