People forced to purchase water in rural areas: Harsh Dev

 Alleging acute scarcity of drinking water in Jammu region and rural areas in particular, the NPP activists led by Mr. Harsh Dev Singh Chairman-JKNPP and former Minister organized a massive protest demonstration at CE Jal Shakti Deptt Office Jammu today The protestors assembled at Bus Stand Ramnagar and marched in a procession towards CE Office where they held a massive protest cum dharna seeking fixation of responsibility for acute water crisis faced by the public in general and raised slogans against the PHE authorities for chronic water shortage in the scorching heat.

Alleging massive corruption in the PHE Deptt now renamed as Jal Shakti Deptt, Mr. Singh divulged that despite crores of rupees having been spent in records during the past few years, the new water supply schemes were nowhere in existence. The earlier schemes operationalized several years back had become defunct with hardly any action taken to restore them resulting in acute water crisis in majority of the villages especially in Ramnagar constituency.

Mr. Singh revealed that during his tour of various remote areas villages in the last few days, the people had come out with serious complaints of water shortage with none in the Deptt to listen to their woes. The crises was more pronounced in the villages of Marta, Bassi, Sunetar, Prey, Badhal, Kaghote, Bhatyari, Kathil Dangu, Paletar, Chani, Jagwal, Do bad, Kanah, Panj Grain, Ser Manjla, Bhugtarian, Jualo Naal, Badhole etc with authorities concerned turning a deaf ear to the shrill cries of the public. At several villages, the people complained that not a single official bothered to visit their villages for months together and none entertained their complaints. Seeking ACB probe into the working of PHE sector in Ramnagar during the past 4-5 years, Mr. Singh sought thorough investigation into the works executed on the ground vis a vis funds expended in papers. He further regretted the nonpayment of wages to PHE workers for months and years resulting in severe hardships for their families.

Mr. Singh further claimed that drinking water was being purchased in several villages by hiring private tankers with the concerned officers having abdicated their responsibility of even visiting the villages. Some of the officials were holding out threats to the poor people to refrain from complaining against them for their neglect of the villages and failure to ensure water supply. The damaged pipes had not been repaired despite huge funds having been drawn in the name of maintenance. People of several villages had been made to pay for repairs of damaged pipes providing the most glaring examples of massive corruption having engulfed the Deptt, said Mr. Singh.

Mr. Singh said that with people made to travel for miles together to fetch water for drinking in several villages, the resentment against govt was brewing with each passing day. Similar complaints were pouring in from Chenani, Samba, Vijaypur and elsewhere, asserted Mr. Singh.

Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Rajesh Padgotra, Gagan Pratap Singh, Surinder Chouhan, Khajoor Singh, Mohinder Singh, Rashpaul Singh, Karan Singh, Raj Pratap Singh, Manhor Lal, Ajay Singh besides others.