JAMMU: In a move to address water scarcity and ensure access to clean drinking water in Jammu city, the Jammu and Kashmir government today announced free water tanker service to the water deficit areas.
This was revealed during a high-level review meeting chaired by Minister for Jal Shakti, Javed Ahmed Rana at Civil Secretariat Jammu.
Besides the Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, the meeting was attended by the Additional Chief Secretary of the School Education Department, Additional Chief Secretary, Jal Shakti, Department, Commissioner of Jammu Municipal Corporation, Vice Chairman of Jammu Development Authority, Director of Tribal Affairs, Chief Engineer, Jal Shakti, Jammu and other senior officers.
“We will provide free-of-cost water tankers to those areas which are facing water shortage. The leftover areas would also be covered soon under Jal Jeevan Mission or any other water supply scheme,” he said, highlighting the situation faced by people due to inadequate water supply. He said that this initiative aims to support vulnerable communities, especially during times of water shortage.
The Minister instructed the officers to visit the areas witnessing water shortage so that water supply plans are formulated accordingly. He also called for incorporating certain measures to streamline and keep the online portal user-friendly for the common man.
Expressing concern over the slow pace of progress on water supply schemes under AMRUT in Jammu division, the Minister called for immediate preparation of pending DPRs and subsequent approval by the HUDD.
During the meeting, detailed discussions were held regarding progress on the Jal Jeevan Mission in the Poonch district.
The Minister sought details about the plans to be undertaken to ensure adequate water supply in view of the continuing dry spell. He also called for the inauguration of those schemes which are complete as per DPR saying that they should be dedicated to the public as soon as possible.
Deputy Commissioner, Poonch, informed that five schemes each in Mendhar, Surankote and Haveli constituencies will be completed in the next 10 days for inauguration.
Javed Rana also reviewed progress on ongoing development works in Poonch district under CAPEX. He encouraged the officers to work in a mission mode so that all the pending works were completed within the shortest possible time.
It was given out in the meeting that out of a total of 3151, 1878 works have been completed in Poonch under CAPEX.
Regarding delays in the execution of developmental works, the Minister asked for expediting works being executed under all schemes, especially in the CSS in Poonch.
Highlighting the plight of those affected by a storm in the year 2005 at Waltengoo in district Kulgam, Javed Rana impressed upon the administration to make efforts to rehabilitate the victims by establishing a model colony with all requisite facilities for the residents.
During the meeting, focused discussions were also held on the construction of Tribal Bhawan in Jammu.
Javed Rana, who also holds the Tribal Affairs portfolio, asked the concerned officers to identify the land for the construction of Tribal Bhawan in Jammu. He also assessed the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Aadi Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAAGY), a flagship program aimed at the holistic development of tribal villages. He underscored the importance of focusing on critical areas such as education, healthcare, housing and infrastructure to achieve the program’s objectives.
During the meeting, discussions were also held on subject-specific teachers under SMAGRA.
