Nearly eight years after its launch, the drinking water filtration plant at Haripora in Ganderbal district remains incomplete, forcing hundreds of residents to depend on an aging and overburdened water supply system.

The delay has impacted around 300 households, with locals voicing strong resentment over what they term years of neglect and unfulfilled assurances. Although officials have now claimed that testing of the plant will begin by the end of December, residents remain sceptical due to repeated past delays.
Malik Zahoor, a local resident, said the project, initiated in 2017, progressed only sporadically.
“The work was never carried out consistently. Despite repeated appeals, authorities largely ignored the issue,” he said.
Residents have also raised concerns about the abandoned structure.
“Either the project should be completed immediately or scrapped altogether. The unfinished site has become a hotspot for gambling and other social problems,” Zahoor alleged.
Locals said they continue to rely on the old water supply scheme and fear it may be dismantled once the new plant becomes operational.
“That supply line must be retained along with the new filtration plant. Authorities should resume work without further delay,” Zahoor added.
Another resident, Ghulam Muhammad Baba, described the situation as critical.
“When the project started, we hoped for relief. Unfortunately, nothing has changed all these years,” he said.
Responding to the concerns, Executive Engineer, Jal Shakti Department, Ganderbal, Fayaz Ahmad Bhat said the Haripora–Bonzil water supply scheme was initially sanctioned at a cost of ₹5.45 crore and later shifted to the Union Territory Capex budget.
“Due to severe water scarcity, the project is now being funded under a Centrally Sponsored Scheme,” he said, adding that major delays were caused by issues related to the raw water main feeding the filtration plant.
“That critical component has now been completed, marking a major breakthrough. Testing of the plant will be conducted by the end of December,” Bhat said.
He explained that the project was executed under two separate contracts—one for the raw water main and another for the remaining infrastructure.
“The filtration plant is largely complete. The 1.5 lakh-gallon service reservoir has been finished, and pending works such as distribution pipelines have now been resolved. The contractor is set to resume work shortly,” he added.
According to the department, the plant is expected to become fully operational by the end of the current financial year.
“If the contractor fails to complete the remaining work within two months, strict action will be taken. The project is under close monitoring at the highest level,” the Executive Engineer assured.