Intervention Image can't write to storage_path - laravel-5

Question

I want to store uploaded image to storage_path (storage/app/images/users) and not public_path (public/images/users) in my Laravel application.
My filesystem configuration is as follows:
'disks' => [
'local' => [
'driver' => 'local',
'root' => storage_path('app'),
],
'public' => [
'driver' => 'local',
'root' => storage_path('app/public'),
'url' => env('APP_URL').'/storage',
'visibility' => 'public',
],
'users'=> [
'driver' => 'local',
'root' => storage_path('app/images/users'),
'url' => env('APP_URL').'/storage'
],
's3' => [
'driver' => 's3',
'key' => env('AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID'),
'secret' => env('AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY'),
'region' => env('AWS_DEFAULT_REGION'),
'bucket' => env('AWS_BUCKET'),
'url' => env('AWS_URL'),
],
],
I have also created the necessary folders in the desired path.
My upload script is as follows:
public function upload_avatar($data)
{
$users_image_location=storage_path('images/users');
$users_image_thumb_location_1=storage_path('images/users/thumbs-100');
$users_image_thumb_location_2=storage_path('images/users/thumbs-50');
$users_image_thumb_location_3=storage_path('images/users/thumbs-30');
$image = $data['photo'];
$filename = User::create_random_name(32) . '.' . $image->extension();
$image_file = Image::make($image->getRealPath());
list($width, $height) = getimagesize($image);
if ($width > 700)
{
//Resize the image
$image_file->resize(600, 600, function ($constraint) {
$constraint->aspectRatio();
});
}
//save the image file
$image_file->save($users_image_location.'/' . $filename);
//create and store a 100px thumbnail of the image
$image_file->resize(100, 100, function($constraint) {
$constraint->aspectRatio();
})->save($users_image_thumb_location_1.'/'.$filename);
$image_file->resize(50, 50, function($constraint) {
$constraint->aspectRatio();
})->save($users_image_thumb_location_2.'/'.$filename);
$image_file->resize(30, 30, function($constraint) {
$constraint->aspectRatio();
})->save($users_image_thumb_location_3.'/'.$filename);
//return the filename of the image
return $filename;
}
But when I run it, I get the following Exception indicating that the system could not write to the path.
Can't write image data to path (C:\xampp\htdocs\NelpritadConcept\storage\images/users/NITA5VYtiWGSbWLmy2M6mtTpbW6XyupA.jpeg)
And when I change the paths public_path() as follows:
$users_image_location=public_path('images/users');
$users_image_thumb_location_1=public_path('images/users/thumbs-100');
$users_image_thumb_location_2=public_path('images/users/thumbs-50');
$users_image_thumb_location_3=public_path('images/users/thumbs-30');
it works as expected.
I am running Laravel 5.7, PHP 7.2 on Windows 10 OS, Apache
I wish to know how I can store my images to storage folder instead of the public path.
I will appreciate any guide to getting this done
Regards