Early Times Newspaper Jammu
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PHE Deptt Rajouri’s claims of providing water in rural areas stand exposed
Many areas still deprived of portable water supply
Ankit Kessar
Early times Report

Rajouri, Apr 10: There seems no taker of much publicised “Har Ghar Jal” schemes in district Rajouri, which is a Modi Government’s flagship as there are still many areas which are deprived of potable water supply putting people in great difficulties to get this basic amenity.
It is very heartening to find out that even in the era of the twenty first century, when technologies have made huge advancement; still people are without water facilities in rural areas of the district, which has exposed the tall claims of the department of reaching out to untouched areas.
“Department claims that it has executed several bore wells, dug wells to provide water to the village areas of the district but fact of the matter is that such developments have restricted to only small areas that too in city areas and the rural areas have been forgotten absolutely,” the local residents alleged.
They further informed that people living in hilly and far off areas had to fetch water for daily needs by covering distances of many kilometres on a daily basis. “Horses, ponies are used to get water from long distances, which out rightly reject the false claims of the department. The Centre Government had launched fully funded several water schemes and the new scheme ‘Har Ghar Jal’ is also one of them but laxity on the part of the department to implement such schemes on the ground have put the people in great distress,” they alleged.
Even the area panchayats adjoining Rajouri town including Gurdan Bala is the victim of official apathy, where no proper pipelines have been laid down. Similarly, Sodra panchayat of Sunderbani tehsil where water supply is released once in a week it has been reported that contaminated water is supplied putting the health of rural people at risk.
Moreover, the PHE employees also play foul with the people by diverting the supply to other areas just to put pressure on them so that they might purchase water supply from tankers. Locals complained that water tanks of PHE are not cleaned and contaminated water is supplied in many areas.
They appealed to DC Rajouri to look into the matter to sort out their grievances and urged him to visit rural areas to find out the ground reality.
Despite repeated calls to XEn PHE Nowshera but he didn’t pick up calls for comments.