Angry residents cut off electricity to seven villages
RAQEEB BHAT
SRINAGAR, July 4: A three-year-old squabble on scarcity of drinking water that restarted between the people of two villages in Pulwama district has led to an electric shutdown in at least seven adjacent hamlets comprising of thousands of families who are now reeling under a complete darkness since yesterday.
The electricity supply to these villages has been cut-off in an unauthorized manner at Sanziwatoora village. The three-year-old controversy between two adjacent villages of Manduna and Sanziwatoora, have made seven villages of the area bear the consequences.
Located at a distance of less than five kilometres from the district headquarters, the locals of Sanziwatoora allege they have been deprived of drinking water facility from past three years by their neighbouring village.
“Despite no potable water connections to our homes we are receiving monthly bills from PHE. We have been deprived of this basic element of life since past few years no one is listening to us. For God’s sake we want the concerned administration to connect us to a water supply line. We have suffered a lot in the past,” Aadil Ahmad a resident of Sanziwatoora told Kashmir Despatch.
With a 200 household population a water tanker on alternate days is pretty insufficient to meet daily needs apart from drinking purposes, locals of the village told Kashmir Despatch.
Mushtaq Ahmed, Ex. En PHE Pulwama, said, “We tried to connect half of the village to a water supply scheme from an adjacent village. However, the locals rejected the offer saying that the source of the scheme is contaminated.”
The official also said, “another pipeline scheme from a local spring was sanctioned to both the villages, but due to some internal controversies the locals of Manduna village completely halted the water supply towards the neighbouring village.”
Sanziwatoora is situated at a short distance from Manduna. “I got Manduna a pipeline sanctioned with the help of a local politician years back. The Sanziwatoora had its water supply connected to the Talangam water supply scheme. They never come forward to have a share from this water supply. Now when they get deprived of that scheme they want a share from us. We don’t want any controversies but my village does not have a regular and sufficient water supply which makes it impossible to share the water pipeline with them,” said Ghulam Mohiuddin Hurrah, village head (Nambardar) of Manduna village.
On Friday, 3 July addressing the grievance from locals of Sanziwatoora, the district administration took a step forward and sent officials from departments of PHE, revenue, police (for any possible law and order problem) to Manduna for connecting the Sanziwatoora with the water pipeline scheme.
“The locals from Manduna gathered and disrupted our work and created chaos, as such we had to leave the spot,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, an official of PHE department.
This did not stop here according to sources, the locals from Sanziwatoora in a bid to make Manduna suffer cut off the electricity supply line from receiving station Narwa which runs via Sanziwatoora to other adjacent villages of the area.
Confirming this untoward incident, SE, PDD Pulwama, Lateef Ahmad Shah told Kashmir Despatch, “At least seven villages have suffered power cuts due to this spat since yesterday. We have reported the issue to district admission for timely action.”
Regarding the hoax created by Manduna locals, Mushtaq said, “the issue is now an administrative matter, legal action will be taken against the miscreants, and the issue will be now addressed by district administration itself.”
Additional deputy commissioner Pulwama, Altaf Ahmad Khan while talking to Kashmir Despatch, said, “We are looking into the matter and necessary action warranted under law will be taken by the administration.”
