Baramulla, June 17: The protests over water scarcity in the Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district entered the sixth consecutive day on Saturday.
The locals accuse the Jal Shakti Department of failing to ensure a proper water supply, while officials maintain the supply is adequate.
Taking to the streets, scores of people, mostly women, gathered and blocked the Sopore-Tarzoo road and said they have been enduring a lot for the past 20 days. “The Jal Shakti department is apathetic towards our genuine demand for proper water supply,” they said.
The protestors sought the intervention of the Lieutenant Governor to address their “grievances”.
However, an official from the Jal Shakti department in Sopore disputed the claims made by the protestors, asserting that the water supply to the area is sufficient.
The official, however, acknowledged that certain individuals were utilising the drinking water supply for non-essential purposes such as maintaining kitchen gardens. “The use of water boosters by some residents was exacerbating the scarcity issue in certain parts of the town,” he said.
