Recent reports of there being a shortage of drinking water for residents in several pockets of the Batamaloo area of Srinagar prompted the union territory administration to instruct local municipal authorities to rectify the problem on priority.
The Brighter Kashmir daily had earlier this week reported on residents taking to the streets in Batamaloo’s Firdousabad locality to protest against the PHE Department for failing to provide adequate drinking water during the fasting month of Ramadan.
The daily sent its team to speak to protesters, including women, who were blocking roads leading into and out of the locality, causing a traffic nightmare, over claims that they were not being provided with adequate water supply despite repeated assurances from the concerned authorities.
The protesters said that they had even forwarded appeals to the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, and other departments to investigate the matter at the earliest.
In the wake of this genuine complaint, highlighted by Brighter Kashmir, the Aee Dood Ganga Subdivision in Srinagar, carried out an investigation and found that there was blockage in a 100 mm DIA pipeline.
To rectify the problem, the sub-division approached the Road and Buildings Department to seek permission for a “road cut” to facilitate removal of the blockage.
The Aee Dood Ganga Subdivision confirmed on Sunday that the blockage in the above-mentioned pipeline has been removed and that drinking water supply to the residents of affected areas in Batamaloo will resume at the earliest.