Housing Board colony residents face water crisis

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 1

The residents of Housing Board colony in Ranjit Avenue area are irked at the Municipal Corporation (MC) for failing to provide potable water in houses. They complained that they have been receiving erratic water supply in the colony since November 2023 and accused the MC of tardy response. They also demanded prompt action in drilling a new bore to install a tubewell in the locality.

The prevailing situation in the residential colony belies the claims of the government of providing drinking water to all residents of the state, said a local resident Harpreet Singh Kalra.

Hundreds of residents living in about 1,500 houses in the Housing Board colony have three, two and single floor dwellings. Earlier, this colony had two tubewells to supply water but one of these developed a fault in November 2023. In the beginning, they used to receive contaminated water but gradually the supply of water stopped completely. After November 2023, they received potable water from a single tube-well which has erratic supply. In summer, the demand for water increased and so did their troubles, said Karanjeet Singh.

Yesterday, the only submersible pump to supply water also stopped working. Now, the families whose houses do not have their personal submersible pumps are completely dependent upon those whose dwellings have it.

GS Bedi, a local resident, said even after approaching the MC staff, including JEs and SDOs, the trouble remained unanswered. Following this, they shot off a communiqué to the MC Commissioner, area MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh and CM Bhagwant Mann but no solution was in sight.

He said for the first time during his 25 years stay in the colony, his family felt humiliated in borrowing water from their neighbours. How the AAP would come back to power when it is failing to provide even the basic needs to people in the state, he stated in a letter to the CM.

Col (retd) BS Bhullar, another local resident, said the MC did not install the submersible pump at home because of apprehensions over the depleting water table. “Instead of rewarding us, the government was not even ensuring the supply of water for at least a few minimum hours a day,” he said.

Sarbjit Singh, another resident, recalled that they approached the MC Commissioner who directed JE Sardul Singh to check the tubewell. The JE said the bore of the tubewell had run dry and a new bore was required to be drilled.