Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Apr, 26
Alleging acute scarcity of drinking water in various villages of Ramnagar constituency, the NPP activists led by Mr. Harsh Dev Singh Chairman-JKNPP and former Minister organized a massive protest demonstration at Ramnagar and torched the effigy of ‘Jal Shakti’ Deptt. The protestors assembled at Bus Stand Ramnagar and raised slogans against the PHE authorities for chronic water shortage in the area.
Alleging massive corruption in the PHE Deptt now renamed as Jal Shakti Deptt, Mr. Singh divulged that despite crores of rupees having been spent in records during the past few years, the new water supply schemes were nowhere in existence.
The earlier schemes operationalized several years back had become defunct with hardly any action taken to restore them resulting in acute water crisis in majority of the villages of the constituency.
Mr. Singh revealed that during his tour of various remote areas villages in the last few days, the people had come out with serious complaints of water shortage with none in the Deptt to listen to their woes. The crises was more pronounced in the villages of Marta, Bassi, Prey, Badhal, Kaghote, Bhatyari, Kathil Dangu, Paletar, Chani, Jagwal, Do bad, Kanah, Panj Grain, Ser Manjla, Badhole etc with authorities concerned turning a deaf ear to the shrill cries of the public. At several villages, the people complained that not a single official bothered to visit their villages for months together and none entertained their complaints.
Seeking ACB probe into the working of PHE sector in Ramnagar during the past 4-5 years, Mr. Singh sought thorough investigation into the works executed on the ground vis a vis funds expended in papers.
He further regretted the nonpayment of wages to PHE workers for months and years resulting in severe hardships for their families.
Later Mr. Singh sent a memorandum to SDM Ramnagar urging him to personally monitor the supply of ration to BPL families who were being deprived of the actual scale of ration prescribed for them. Not only the pilferage of civil supplies was required to be looked into but ration was needed to be provided in various remote areas at door steps wherein people were facing problems of transportation and movement due to corona pandemic. He called for regular visits of field staff to various villages to make a continuous assessment of the problems of remote area people so that appropriate measures could be taken to provide them the requisite relief during the ongoing pandemic.
Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Mrs. Manju Singh (General Secretary-JKNPP), Mr. Des Raj (Chairman BDC Ramnagar), Mrs. Neelam Devi (Chairperson BDC Parly Dhar), Mrs. Sushma Devi (Chairperson BDC Kulwanta) and Mrs. Ashri Devi (Member DDC Dudu-Basantgarh) besides others.
