| Special provisions made for Water scarce, rural areas: Sham | | Various deputations call on PHE Minister | |
Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 27 : A number of deputations and individuals from across the Jammu Division, including Akhnoor, Rajpur, Dewana, R.S.Pura, Mansar and various places of Jammu district today met the Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood & Control Mr. Sham Lal Sharma here at the Summer Secretariat and projected the demands and problems of their respective areas. The Minister, who is here on the rotational weeklong tour to attend the Jammu summer Secretariat, had a detailed review of essential services including power, water supply and other civic amenities, besides various issues concerning the people of the region. A deputation, led by former political advisor to the former J&K chief minister, S Peter, met the Minister and apprised him about the problems confronting the Residency road and adjoining localities. The Minister discussed the demands raised by the deputation with concerned departments on telephone and assured the deputation that all genuine demands will be redressed on priority basis.
Another deputation of Ex-Corporators, led by Ms Lalita Sharma, also met the Minister and apprised him about the problems and developmental needs of Virkam Chowk area.
Responding to the demands, Mr Sham directed the PHE authorities to maintain daily water supply and press in water tanker services to the areas facing water scarcity, particularly kandi and rural areas. He said that instructions have been issued to the concerned to pay special attention to the rural pockets to ensure regular water supply and adequate irrigation facilities to farmers at the tail end. He informed that the government is mooting a prestigious plan to lift water from Chenab Valley for supplying to Jammu and its adjoining areas. He said that at present the major drinking water demand is being met from the supply from Sheetli and Boria Filtration plant.
Referring to other measures, he said that the government has laid special stress on supply of quality seeds and fertilizers to farmers. He said that the procurement process is being closely monitored to ensure that farmers as well as fruit growers are facilitated in all possible ways.
The Minister informed the deputations and individuals that government was focusing on conjunctive use of different water resources to move away from over dependence on single source to multiple sources like use of ground water, surface and rain water harvest to make water supply schemes more sustainable.
‘To improve the ground water level the government has already decided to construct more check dams and conservation of traditional sources of water in rural areas’, he maintained. Later, the Minister attended a meeting organized to pay tributes to late 1st Prime Minister Pt Jawaharlal Nehru on his 49th death anniversary. |
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