KARGIL, MAY 29, 2021: In a major surprise to the people in Bagh Khomeini, a lift water supply scheme has turned into a water filling station for tankers of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department of Kargil, complained 09 Ward Member Municipal Committee Kargil Haji Mohamad Ali. Since, the water pump was developed it has not made functional for public use.

However, Executive Engineer PHE in an interview to the Voice of Ladakh said that the project is ready but due to some technical faults the project is not commenced yet for public convenience. Due to the COVID situation, the contractor is also out of station resulting in delay to fix the fault. The fault will be fixed in few weeks and the project will be opened soon for public service.

He further said that it has not converted to a tanker filling station, but basically it is for lifting water supply to the residents of the village but there is sufficient water and capacity to fill tankers as well from the same place.

The Rs 1.9 crore project was basically a lift water supply scheme proposing lifting of drinking water from river Suru to facilitate the inhabited areas of Bagh-e-Khomeini up to Andoo. The work on the project was commenced in 2014-15 by the PHE Department of District Kargil.

Accordingly, the villagers of Bagh-e-Khomeini provided two kanal of land for establishment of pump station and other requirements at the spot identified by PHE Department near New Andoo colony on Suru river bank. As per the proposed project the department set up pump platform and other requirements there in due course of time, also raising water through private lands of the villagers towards a ridge point at highest contours.

“But to the surprise of the beneficiaries the PHE Department has forgot to supply provide drinking water to the people. They have converted the pump house as water filling station for tankers. They have left the scheme incomplete in respect of its water reservoir, distribution lines”, complained Mohamad Ali.

“We request the Authorities for facilitation of consistent and uninterrupted water supply to the people at earliest for whom the scheme was basically sanctioned, instead of making it a water filling station. An early action is solicited from the authorities”, appealed Mohammad Ali.