DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
JAMMU, June 13
As temperatures soar to a searing 42 degrees Celsius, the people of Jammu City are grappling with intense heat and an unresponsive administration. Despite the critical need for functional water coolers at key locations, the city’s Water ATMs have become the sole source of respite, highlighting the administration’s glaring inefficiency.
The city is home to numerous water coolers strategically placed at bus stands, markets, and busy intersections such as Motibazar, Talab Tillo, Satwari, Kunjwani, and Narwal Bus Stand. Unfortunately, most of these coolers have been out of order for months. This failure is particularly troubling during the scorching summer months when these coolers should be providing much-needed relief. Shockingly, the repairs scheduled for early April never materialized, leaving citizens parched and frustrated.
Instead of addressing the defunct coolers, the administration has lazily relied on newly installed water ATMs as a temporary measure. While these ATMs offer some relief, they are inconveniently spaced up to half a kilometer or more apart. Currently, only a few locations, such as Bikram Chowk, Jewel Chowk, Indira Chowk, Bakshi Nagar, Rajpura, Gandhi Nagar, and University Road, have these water ATMs. This coverage is grossly inadequate for the entire city’s population.
A senior official of the Jammu Municipal Corporation admitted that over 30 water ATMs have been installed in high-traffic areas. However, the same official also acknowledged that out of more than 200 water coolers, over 80 are currently non-functional. Promises to repair these coolers remain unfulfilled, and the official’s vague assurances about future repairs and inquiries into the delays provide little comfort to the suffering public.
The administration’s failure to provide timely repairs and adequate hydration facilities amid the intense heat is a blatant dereliction of duty. Their inaction has turned a basic necessity into an unfulfilled luxury. The people deserve better than to be at the mercy of a sluggish and indifferent municipal body. The prolonged wait for something as fundamental as cool drinking water is a stark reminder of the administration’s incompetence and disregard for the well-being of its people.
As the city swelters, the administration’s inability to ensure functioning of water coolers is not just an inconvenience—it is an outright failure to protect the health and welfare of the general public. The people deserve accountability, action, and above all, relief from this relentless heat.
