PAMPORE: Residents of Andrusoo village of Pampore area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Tuesday held a strong protest demonstration against PHE/Jal Shakti department for failing to ensure uninterrupted water supply in the area.
Scores of residents, both men and women, protested against the Jal Shakti Department (PHE) for failing to resolve their issue for the last 16 years.
They were shouting slogans against the PHE/ Jal Shakti authorities for their failure to provide water supply to the people of the area, locals told Kashmir Reader.
They appealed to the Lt Governor of the Union Territory of J&K and district administration Pulwama to look into their demands and resolve the water crisis in the area.
The residents claimed that a water scheme established years ago still awaits completion.
The protesters told Kashmir Reader that they have been facing a lot of hardships in the absence of potable water in the area.
Some of the residents who could afford it have dug deep bore wells which too are dependent on supply of electricity.
Residents say that Andrusoo about four kilometer from Saffron Town Pampore have been without drinking water for the past sixteen years compelling the residents to dig tube wells in these villages in order to survive.
The residents of the village alleged that a water supply scheme had been sanctioned for the villages in the financial year 2005-06 but it has still not been made operational despite spending lakhs of rupees on it.
They requested LG and district administration Pulwama to look into the matter.
Suhail Ahmad told Kashmir Reader that a scheme was sanctioned for Andrusoo village in 2007 but till date they didn’t receive any water from it.
He said that they made rounds to the office of the PHE department but our issue remains unresolved.
” We demand that the water scheme be made functional so that we don’t have to suffer further,” he said, adding that their women folk have to walk two kilometers to get drinking water.
Abdul Rashid, another resident told Kashmir Reader that they have been suffering due to paucity of Portable water.
” Lack of drinking water forces us to fetch water from dirty streams and we use that for meeting daily needs,” he said.
He appealed to authorities to look into the reasons as to why this water scheme remained nonfunctional.
” We want to know how bills were withdrawn without completing any work,” he said, demanding Deputy Commissioner Pulwama to hold an inquiry into the matter.

BILAL HABIB