Water scarcity, choked drains main issues
Govind Sharma
JAMMU: Improper water supply, choked drains, damaged lanes, increasing encroachment on ponds and illegal operation of a stone crusher as well as a coal tar plant are the main issues which the inhabitants of Ward No 63 of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) are grappling with.
Earlier, the Ward mainly comprised Keran, Kamal Nagar, some part of Bantalab, Gurha Keran, Adarsh Nagar and KB Nagar but now two more Panchayat areas namely Lower Thathar and Upper Thathar have also been included into it.
People of whole ward are facing severe water crisis. They do not get water for days together while the condition of internal roads and lanes are worst. Many areas are without drains and the existing drains in most of the areas, particularly along main roads are completely choked. Moreover, the garbage bins are hardly available and wherever placed are not cleaned regularly by the Jammu Municipal Corporation.
Another major issue is encroachment of ponds by influential people and illegal running of a stone crusher as well as a coal tar plant due to which there is strong resentment among the inhabitants of the Ward.
“Our taps remain dry for days together. Generally we get water supply twice a week but sometimes, particularly in summer, we get water once in 10 days,” said Babita Thakur, a housewife of Gurha Keran, adding they are totally dependent on private water tankers to meet their water requirement. She further complained that all the drains of the locality are completely choked.
Vinay Gupta of Adarsh Nagar said that their locality wore a deserted look in the evening as most of the street lights are not in working condition and people fear venturing out in darkness. Same is the tale of other localities of the Ward but authorities are unmoved, he added.
A Government employee living in Bantalab area said that pond at backside of the temple has been encroached to a large extent by some influential people, who have raised shops there in connivance with officials of JMC. The encroachment is still continuing and it is not limited to only this pond but also six other ponds (3 each in Lower Thathar and Upper Thathar) of the Ward.
“Illegal constructions are being done on large scale in Upper Thathar and Lower Thathar areas in connivance of the field staff of JMC and JDA, who in lieu of some pecuniary benefits shut their eyes towards these illegalities resulting into a huge loss to the State exchequer”, people said.
Virender Singh of Upper Thathar said that there is no dispensary, no proper water and power supply and lanes are ‘kutcha’. He further said that there are about 29 Safai Karamcharis in the Ward but a single has not been deployed in Lower Thathar and Upper Thathar while garbage bins are totally missing.
He further alleged that a stone crusher and a coal tar plant are being run illegally at backside of Baba Kailakh Nath Temple and many pleas seeking closure of these plants in this populated area fell on the deaf ears of the authorities. These illegal plants are a source of noise and dust pollution in the area, he added.
Beena Devi of KB Nagar said there is not a single park and playground in the entire Ward and it is a burning demand of the people of the Ward to construct a park and a playground in the area. Nasreen of Kamal Nagar said that the main road from Chinore to Satsang Ghar, Keran was blacktopped recently but it again started damaging from Keran Morh due to flowing of waste water of the households as there are no drains.
Corporator of the Ward, Kuldeep Singh Chib, who belongs to BJP, while speaking to Excelsior, said that he is committed to development of the area but due to non-release of funds by the JMC, he is helpless. However, some works sanctioned before ULB polls like construction of drains in KB Nagar have been started, he added.
Chib said till date he has got only 10 street lights and as many LED bulbs from the JMC but the requirement of the same is about 20 times. The Corporator said there are some areas where people backed even basic facilities but due to lack of funds and resources, he is not in a position to do anything for these areas.
However, he said as soon as funds are released by the JMC, the development works will be taken up at war footing in the entire Ward, particularly in those areas which were included in the Ward recently.
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