G S Asgotra
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 10: There is a strong resentment among the people of Samba against the PHE department for allegedly supplying them filthy drinking water.
Samba is represented by a BJP MLA. People alleged that despite repeated representations made to the authorities concerned, they had so far not bothered to supply them clean drinking water.
Sources in PHE and Irrigation and Flood Control Department informed Early Times that to plug leakage in water supply pipes, sponge yarn was required but for the last nearly one and half year, it had not been purchased by the department, leaving the concerned officials without essential logistics to plug in the leakages.
"For the last one and a half year, tenders for the purchase of the sponge yarn are not invited by the department", sources alleged, saying that in district Samba alone, the department required nearly 50 quintals of yarn.
Sources claimed that a contractor, who used to supply the sponge-yarn, was yet to be paid by the department. "Huge liabilities are pending and department has not cleared the same, forcing the contractor to stop the supply of sponge yarn", sources said, adding, "During rains, the filthy water supply increases, but the department does not have sponge yarn to plug the leaking points."
An official, pleading anonymity, said that the department was paying no heed to repair the leaking pipes or replace them with new ones.
"Dozens of villagers of Arid belt of Samba town, including Kaner, Geed, Jarahan, Samotha and Dand, are getting filthy drinking water through PHE pipes," sources alleged. |
