JK CM inaugurates 5 water supply schemes; says floods caused massive damage to public infra

Srinagar, Sep 18 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the recent floods in Union Territory have caused massive damage to public infrastructure, including 330 bridges and 1,500 kilometres of road, and destroyed private properties like homes and fields.

Abdullah inaugurated and dedicated to the public five major water supply schemes of the Jal Shakti department in Tangmarg. He said these schemes mark only the beginning of a broader transformation of the Gulmarg-Tangmarg assembly constituency.

Highlighting the hardships caused by erratic weather patterns, Abdullah said Kashmir has witnessed both drought-like situations and devastating floods within a year.

He underlined the need for rainwater harvesting and better water management to safeguard resources for the coming generations.

Referring to the water supply schemes, he praised the engineers and staff of Jal Shakti department for completing them despite adverse circumstances.

Constructed at a cost of Rs 35.67 crore, the schemes will provide clean drinking water through modern Rapid Sand Filtration Plants to 40 habitations, covering 5,473 households and over 10,000 families with a population of 32,838.

The five projects -- inaugurated at Lalpora, Chichilora, Kralpora, Ferozpora Shrai and Kashipora -- were executed under the Jal Jeevan Mission by the Public Health Engineering department, FBI division, Tangmarg.

The chief minister said ensuring access to safe drinking water was not the government's favour but its responsibility.

"We are only repaying the trust you have placed in us. These schemes will ensure that families no longer have to depend on unfiltered water from rivers and wells. They will now get clean, filtered water right at their doorstep. But, with this comes a responsibility -- to use water judiciously and conserve it for the future," he said.

Abdullah assured the people that his government would not stop at water supply projects but was committed to improving roads, healthcare, education and employment opportunities.

"This investment of Rs 35 crore is just the beginning. In the next four years, we will change the map of the Gulmarg-Tangmarg constituency. There will be no village where development does not reach, no household where progress does not knock at the door," he said.

Expressing his deep personal connect with the area, Abdullah recalled his family's roots in Tangmarg and Gulmarg.

He said it was his grandmother's family that first put Gulmarg on the global tourism map, and vowed to ensure that the region's tourism potential was revived after setbacks caused by floods and restrictions. PTI SSB RUK RUK