Councillors threaten to stage dharna against sewerage board

Tribune News Service

Ropar, June 14

SAD-BJP councillors and municipal council president Paramjit Singh Makkar on Thursday threatened to stage a dhrana against the Water Supply and Sewerage Board for allegedly not supplying adequate potable water to local residents in the absence of a vertical shaft in the Bhakra canal.

Councillors Gurmukh Singh Saini, Rachna Lamba, Bawa Singh, Manjinder Singh Dhanoa, Kulwant Singh Saini and former councillor Ved Prakash, in a press release, said if officials failed to address the problems by June 30, they would stage a dharna in front of the board’s office.

MC president Makkar said the Ropar civic body was entitled to draw five cusecs of water from the Bhakra canal. “Eight years ago, the vertical shaft which used to draw water from the canal was damaged during the construction of a flyover. The National Highways Authorities of India had paid compensation to the board as well. It, however, did not install the shaft even after eight years despite the matter was taken up with officials at all meetings of the district administration. A number of letters has also been written in this regard.”

He said in the absence of a shaft, the town had been receiving only two cusecs of water, but the requirement was five cusecs. “The new 50-km water supply line has been laid in the town in the past few years after new localities have come up. Besides, board officials have failed to rectify the design of a sewage disposal chamber. The Badi Haveli area — Ward No 1 and 21 — and Hargobind Nagar area — Ward No. 12 and 13 — get accumulated with dirty water during rains,” he added.

When contacted, Rahul Kaushal, XEN, Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, said tenders for a vertical shaft would be floated within a week.

The XEN said tenders for rectifying the problem at the sewage disposal chamber would be floated in next month.