SRINAGAR: Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Abdul Rahim Rather, on Saturday inaugurated a series of water supply schemes across the Charar-e-Sharief constituency in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, aimed at providing piped drinking water to thousands of residents.
The projects, developed under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) at a cost of Rs 20 crore, are expected to benefit around 21,000 people by providing sustainable Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs), officials said.
The newly commissioned schemes will supply clean, piped water to several areas that have long faced water scarcity, including Kaisermulla, Kadipora, Kulmach Objipathri, Hakhpora Haptnar and Sheer Check.
Addressing residents from Zaloosa, Haptnar, Kadipora, Hakhpora and adjoining localities, Rather said the Jal Jeevan Mission was not merely an infrastructure initiative but a programme aimed at improving the overall quality of life in rural Kashmir. He said the schemes would reduce the hardship of fetching water from distant sources—particularly for women and children—and help improve public health by curbing water-borne diseases.
During the inauguration and site visits, the Speaker was accompanied by the Superintending Engineer of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, the Executive Engineer and other departmental officials.
