ANANTNAG: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today reiterated that his government would fulfill the promises made to the people and that all efforts shall be made that citizens’ expectations from the government would be met. He said this during his tour of Anantnag district where he inaugurated and dedicated fifteen Water Supply Schemes, constructed at a cost of ?63.97 crore, to the people of the area.
The schemes inaugurated include Hardu Shichan, Dawoodpora Tilwanipora Kamad, Achabal Town, Andoo Pushroo, Deethu Khul, Shergund Aho Paisan, Ranipora Chohar, Gadval, Kasana Mohalla, Narsangri Kachwan, Laigripora, Sangam Sethar, Pushkreeri, Bakerwal Basti Chek I and Shalgan GB. These schemes, with an investment of nearly ?64 crore, will provide safe and filtered drinking water to twenty-four villages and one town in the district, marking a major step towards strengthening rural water supply infrastructure.
Addressing a large gathering at Achabal after the inauguration, the Chief Minister underscored the significance of the achievement. “Today, we have handed over 15 water supply schemes to the people. Fifteen water supply schemes of four assembly segments. And clean drinking water, filtered water would be delivered to your homes. The schemes that are left, we will complete those schemes as well,” he said.
The Chief Minister further assured the people that development would not be confined to water supply alone. “The work of other departments, whether it is education, health, roads, industry, tourism, social welfare, tribal affairs, wherever you have expectations from the government, I promise you that we will meet those expectations. And we will fulfil the promises made to you. Have faith in us. The rest of the work is our responsibility,” he said.
He also highlighted the challenges of governance, stating that sitting outside, many people think it is easy to run a government in such difficult circumstances. “I tell some of them, for example, come and sit on my chair for 10 days. If on the 11th day, you do not pull your legs, I’ll concede the point,” he said.
Referring to the financial liabilities inherited by his government, the Chief Minister noted that thousands of crores of rupees in pending payments had burdened contractors and service providers. “This is not my fault or Mr. Rana’s fault. We got this situation in inheritance. But we never made an excuse for this. We did not say that this is not our liability and we will not do anything about it. On the contrary, we tried to solve it quietly. I sat with the minister in charge to find a solution to this. I don’t do politics of deceit. I have never used the situation as an excuse despite the fact that I know how difficult it is to work in these circumstances. But we will present ourselves to you only after we do our work. This is my promise to you,” he declared.
Touching upon the political aspirations of the people, Omar Abdullah reiterated his stand on restoration of statehood. “But my colleagues will also have to be courageous. They will have to face the powers that only want destruction in Jammu and Kashmir. We will fight. We will fight in democratic ways. We will fight in peaceful ways. We will get our rights within the realm of Constitution. But I am not ready to bring destruction and destruction in the homes of the people here. But I still believe that there is no despair in Allah’s court, we will get it. And we will get our rights. But for now, the work will continue,” he said amidst loud applause.
The function was also addressed by Minister for Jal Shakti Javed Ahmed Rana, Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, and MLAs Abdul Majeed Bhat (Anantnag West), Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri (Srigifwara–Bijbehara), Altaf Ahmad Kaloo (Pahalgam), Reyaz Ahmad Khan (Shangus–Anantnag) and Zaffar Ali Khatana (Kokernag), who lauded the inauguration of the water supply schemes as a landmark step for Anantnag.
