Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, Feb 15: Peeved over the drinking water crisis in majority of villages of Chenani, Ghordi, Ramnagar and Majalta blocks, hundreds of villagers led by Harsh Dev Singh, former Minister held a massive protest outside the office of PHE (Jal Shakti Deptt) in Udhampur today.
The protestors raised slogans against the PHE Deptt and BJP Government for failure to quench the thirst of the people despite 75 years of country’s independence. The protest was joined by young, old, females and even children from Kossar Panchayat of Chenani from where the people had been agitating for the last several days for restoration of water supply to their respective habitations.
Speaking on the occasion, Harsh Dev strongly condemned the PHE Deptt for depleting all water sources of Kossar Panchayat so as to ensure water supply to Mantalai yoga centre. He said that the Department had initiated work of laying water pipes from Kossar to Yoga centre at Mantalai without fulfilling the water requirements of the people of native village. And while the people of Kossar were crying hoarse for water, the department was trying to please their political bosses by diverting all water channels to the convenient locations, hotels, huts and yoga centre situated in a different village.
He said that the arbitrary, motivated and highly insensitive move of the Government had sparked massive outrage in Kossar, Choka Nala, Banek and other adjoining areas where the people had been protesting on day to day basis and had today organized a massive protest in Udhampur.
Singh said that the PHE officials were so desperate to oblige their political bosses that they had started laying water pipes even in wild life sanctuaries in the vicinity of Kossar and Mantalai which are declared as construction free zones by the Supreme Court. He said that water supply to Mantalai Yoga Centre and other huts and hotels in the area should be provided from River Tawi flowing adjacent to the said location rather than from Kossar where the people are already suffering acute water shortage.
Harsh Dev further expressed concern over non- initiation of action for repair of damaged pipes for the last more than two years in areas including Keri, Satyalta, Pakhlai, Mada, Ladha, Chirdi, Kither, Ghordi etc despite repeated complaints made by the affected people.
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