Protesting water shortage, BJP activists gherao SMC office

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 26

With announcement of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) to ensure daily supply of water coming a cropper, Shimla BJP today intensified its protests. Party activists gheraoed the office of Municipal Corporation near Central Telegraph office and raised slogans.

Shimla Mandal president Pradeep Kashyap along with state BJP vice president Ganesh Dutt, who led the protest, lashed out at the SMC for misleading the people by giving false statements and doing nothing on the ground to provide succor to the people by improving the water supply situation.

Addressing the protesters, Ganesh Dutt said the water shortage had not only caused a lot of hardships to people but also hit the hotel industry as tourists are wary of coming to Shimla.

He said: “What to talk of daily water supply, people are not getting water even on seventh or eighth day in several localities and their plight is pathetic”.

He asked the SMC to waive water bills of the consumers and stop further billing till the situation improved and people got adequate quantity of water on a regular basis.

Pradeep Kashyap said the present SMC had failed to safeguard the interests of the people and solve their problems and urged the government to dismiss the SMC.

The SMC had blamed the government for irregular water supply and alleged that massive leakage in main lines of Giri water supply and power failures were mainly responsible for water shortage.