Altaf tours Kangan Constituency

Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment, Mian Altaf Ahmad today concluded his two day visit to Kangan Assembly Constituency and took stock of the essential commodities, road clearance, medical facilities, supply of power and drinking water, besides other amenities being provided to the people in the area.

The Minister interacted with people at Manigam, Gund, Ganwan, Khanan, Aari Goripora and Gagangeer and enquired about availability of rice, sugar, kerosene oil, LPG, snow clearance and restoration of traffic, medical facilities, power and water supply.

The people expressed satisfaction over the performance of administration at every place, however, at Ganwan, the Minister directed for immediate supply of LPG, following the demand by the inhabitants of the village.

Mian Altaf visited Primary Health Centres at Manigam and Gund and checked the attendance of the employees. He directed Hospital administration to ensure presence of doctors and availability of ambulance during the night.

The Minister directed the Power Development department to ensure immediate repair of power transmission lines and transformers. He was told that damaged transformers in Gund Masun and Kirhama have already been replaced.

Later, the Minister interacted with the media persons in Gagangeer and appreciated district administration for their efforts to combat the post snowfall situation in the district. He directed the PDD to ensure that power curtailment programme is equitably being implemented in towns, villages and city. He warned that any laxity on this count will be dealt with severally.

Earlier, District Development Commissioner Ganderbal informed the Minister about stock and supply position of essentials in details.

The Minister was accompanied by S.P. Ganderbal, Shahid M. Rather, Superintending Engineer PDD, Bashir Ahmad Khan, Superintending Engineer R&B, Pinto, Divisional Forest Officer Ganderbal, Assistant Director CAPD and other senior officers.

Chief Ministers Constituency Without Water Supply

Residents of many villages of chief minister Omar Abdullah’s Ganderbal constituency are up in arms against the government as despite years of wait, these villages are still without the proper drinking water supply. Though the pipelines and other necessary infrastructure has already been accomplished, but the taps continue to remain thirsty in the absence of the water supply. In Safapora of Tehsil Lar, Pahlipora, Sheikh Mohalla, Wani Mohalla, Chan Mohalla, Naid Mohalla, Choh, Danger Mohalla and many other adjoining villages have been waiting for the past many years now to see the water supply in their villages and mohallas. “There is no water available for us in this age of science and technology”, lamented Manzoor Ahmad, a contractual

lecturer.“Though the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department had already laid the pipelines in these villages to ensure the water supply to these villages, but till now, no any concrete  measure has been undertaken by the concerned district authorities to let the villagers avail the drinking water facility”, he further said.“Our taps are thirsty for water, not to talk of us”, Shabu, another local told News Agency.

Pertinently, in the abovementioned villages, the PHE authorities, only a couple of years back has started to lay down another pipeline to ensure the drinking water facility to the villages, but this laying down of the pipeline is going at the snail’s pace bringing lot of irritation on the faces of thousands of villagers.Furthermore, a filtration plant coming up from the last two years near Government Higher Secondary Educational Institute is still incomplete following the work that is going at snail’s pace. “If the work on the plant is speeded up and is made functional, we would have a breather”, said Mohammad Yousuf of Wani Mohalla.Not only in Safapora, there are many villages in Kangan Tehsil as well without the drinking water supply. Gonchi Mohalla, Checki Akhal and other adjoining villages have the same story to tell as that of the Safapora villages: “Pipelines laid, but no water available”.

Though a tanker deployed by the PHE authorities provides the drinking water supply to these villages, but the dilapidated condition of the approaching road to Gonchi Mohalla and Checki Akhal has been putting a great brake on the tanker to move to these villages. “In winters (as it has already marked its presence), we are the worst-hit sufferers as the tanker couldn’t enter our villages”, said Mohammad Ashraf, a local of Akhal. The villagers of both Safapora have made umpteen numbers of visits to all the concerned officials from Executive Engineer PHE Ganderbal to Superintending Engineer to the office of Chief Minister, but till now, the villagers continue to remain thirsty for water. “We appeal Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to look into the matter so that our problem is mitigated”, the  villagers said.When contacted, Niyaz Ahmad Laway, Executive Engineer PHE Ganderbal admitted before Kashmir Times that there are the problems of non-availability of drinking water in Safapora and Kangan villages.