Kupwara: The residents of Geeripora Magam in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district Tuesday held a protest against the Jal Shakti department for failing to ensure regular supply of drinking water to the area for the past several years.
Carrying wooden logs, a group of residents, mostly women, staged a protest on Handwara-Vilgam road, bringing traffic to a complete halt.
The protesters staged a sit-in raising slogans against the Jal Shakti department.
They alleged that the area was reeling under acute shortage of water for the past several years yet the authorities had failed to restore water supply or take any tangible measure despite repeated pleas.
The protesters said that the Jal Shakti department had taken them for a ride, leaving them with no option but to stage the protest.
They said that they had taken up the issue with the concerned authorities on several occasions in the past but to no avail.
“We have been forced to hit the streets as the government has failed to mitigate our problems,” said a protestor.
The protestors said that they used to get drinking water from wells in their courtyards but due to the prevailing heat wave, those too had dried up, making people suffer.
They said that a water supply scheme worth Rs 2 crore was approved for Geeripora, Tumpora, Shogpora and Putwari but due to reasons unknown that had been left half way.
The protestors said 10 days before their protest, Executive Engineer Handwara Jal Shakti department Zubair Ahmad had assured them of restoration of water supply but to no avail.
They were pacified after Naib Tehsildar Magam and Station House Officer Magam Irshad Ahmad assured them that their grievance would be redressed soon.