Bandipora, Jun 21: Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Bandipora, Nizam Uddin Bhat on Saturday chaired a comprehensive review meeting to assess the functioning of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) sector and discuss immediate measures to strengthen the district’s water supply system.
Held at the Conference Hall of Mini Secretariat Bandipora, the meeting brought together officials from key departments, including PHE Civil, PHE Mechanical, Irrigation Civil, Irrigation Mechanical, and Groundwater. A detailed presentation was delivered by Executive Engineer Jal Shakti, Er Mutayib Bashir, outlining the status of ongoing civil, mechanical and irrigation works, along with challenges affecting effective service delivery.
MLA Bhat stressed the urgent need for better coordination between the civil and mechanical wings to ensure the timely and efficient execution of water-related projects. He urged departments to prioritise areas facing acute drinking water shortages and called for rationalised water distribution, prompt leak detection and swift repair of damaged infrastructure such as hand pumps and public tube wells.
“Mitigating the water crisis is a collective responsibility,” Bhat said. “All departments must work in unison to provide timely relief to the people.”
DDC Vice-Chairperson Kousar Shafeeq, who was also present at the meeting, called for mobilising all available resources to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply, particularly in rural and water-stressed areas during the peak summer months.
A key point of discussion was the desilting of agricultural canals (khuls) to restore irrigation supply to farmlands. The MLA urged the administration to involve the Rural Development Department in these operations to ensure a collaborative and result-oriented approach.
The meeting also reviewed the progress of multiple Water Supply Schemes in both urban and rural parts of the district. MLA sought clarity on pending components and directed that proposals for new borewells be submitted promptly to expand the district’s water infrastructure.
The review meeting was attended by the Superintending Engineer, Hydraulic Circle Baramulla/Bandipora (H.Q Sopore); Executive Engineers of PHE Hydraulic Bandipora, PHE Sopore, PHE Mechanical North (Sopore/Bandipora), Mechanical Irrigation Division Shadipora, Ground Water Division Srinagar, and I&FC Division Bandipora/Sumbal; along with other concerned officers.
