Idrees Bukhtiyar
Srinagar, May 20: The cavalcade of Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary was briefly stopped by residents of Noorkhah village in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday, as locals protested against the lack of drinking water supply in the area for the past 20 days.
The Deputy Chief Minister was on an official visit to the border town of Uri when villagers intercepted his convoy and raised the issue of acute water shortage being faced by the residents.
According to locals, the prolonged disruption in water supply has caused immense hardship to the villagers, forcing them to struggle for access to potable water. In a video that surfaced on social media, residents can be seen interacting with the Deputy Chief Minister and informing him about their grievances.
The locals urged the government to immediately restore the drinking water supply and ensure that such problems are addressed on priority in border areas.
Later, while addressing party workers in Uri town, Choudhary referred to the incident and said that he was stopped by his “sisters” on the way over the water shortage issue.
He assured the residents that the matter would be taken up with the concerned department and directed officials to restore the water supply at the earliest.
The Deputy Chief Minister was accompanied by MLA Dr Sajjad Shafi, who also assured the residents that the issue would be resolved soon and that the department concerned had been instructed to restore the services without further delay.