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| In Rajouri’s Model village, water is Rs 2 per litre | | | Early Times Report
Rajouri, Aug 14
It seemed unbelievable but it is fact that residents of Dhandkote-a Model Village in Rajouri district are purchasing drinking water for Rs 2 per litre as the village has no water facility since 40 years. To fulfill water need, atleast 13 horsemen used to ferry water for this village on daily basis whereas some labourers have been pressed by the villagers for supplying water.
Dhandkote is village in tehsil Darhal and district Rajouri which is not more than 15 kilometer from district headquarter Rajouri. The village has population of about 2000 and all lack basic facility of water.
Though according to locals there was a pipeline installed by the department in early sixties but the same turned defunct after drying up of water sources following which they said that they approached the authorities however get no response from the department. “We are having no water facility for the last 40 years”, a resident Musarat Mirza said.
Presently atleast 13 horsemen are supplying water to this village from Nare Wali Bowli-3 kilometer away from the villageon horses. These horsemen are charging Rs 40/- per 20 litre gallon of water. Peer Kala Shah, Mohammad Amin and Akhter Shah are horsemen who are not doing any other work in this village but to ferry water on horses and sell the same in the village. “I have purchased two horses to ferry water for Dhandkote village. The villagers are getting water and I am earning bread and butter”, Akhter Shah told Early Times.
The villagers have also pressed some labourers for ferrying water but the rate of the labourers are much higher than the horsemen. “Labourers are selling 20 litre gallon for Rs 60”, a resident Mohammad Farooq of Dhandkote village said.
Ironically the village is Model Village in the official record of government and it is having full facilities on government papers. However ground situation is totally different. “The village is Model not for facilities but for lack of facilities”, Waseem Mirza, District Youth President of Peoples Democratic Party who belongs to this village said. He targeted Public Health Engineering saying that the department was approached many a time but they have turned deaf ear to their plight. “This is injustice with the residents as being model village there must be every basic facility available for the people but it is surprising that we are even deprived of water facility”, Waseem Mirza said adding that they are getting one litre water for Rs 20 and this only happened in Dhandkote.
The residents are now planning to hold empty vessel dharna in front of Deputy Commissioner Office Rajouri. “We are planning to hold dharna along with our elders, women and children at DDC office Rajouri”, Waseem Mirza said adding “Government has tagged the village as Model but it has no facility in it”.
Some residents of the village are also taking advantage of water harvesting technology and they are storing rain water but they said that it is not sufficient to quench their thirst. “I am storing rain water but how long it will be used as water is needed not only for human beings but for animals also”, Mohammad Ramzan said.
Though Mirza Zulf a local leader had publically highlighted the issue of sale of water before Minister for Health Sham Lal Sharma during his recent visit to Darhal, no action has been taken to provide these villagers drinking water facility.
When contacted Executive Engineer Public Health Department Rajouri Swarn Singh admitted that water is being ferried on horses in this village, he however said that village will be provided water very soon. “As the village is model village, we have not been provided any special fund to provide water supply to this village but we will prepare a separate proposal for the village”, Swarn Singh said.
About the non availability of water in Model village, when Assistant Commissioner Development Subash Sharma was contacted, he said that there is no provision in the scheme to provide water supply in this village. “We have no money for this sector and it is PHE who have to supply water in this village”, ACD said.
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