Resident woes: It's the same old story in New Chandigarh

Amarjot Kaur

Chandigarh, February 13

It’s the same old story in New Chandigarh. Broken roads, power cuts lasting up to 24 hours, erratic water supply and soaring electricity bills are among several problems being faced by residents of the much-talked about township in Mohali.

Key election issues

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• Residents of the township, which was launched amid much fanfare in 2014 and falls in the Kharar constituency, complain of being denied basic civic amenities, which are also key election issues for them.
• Broken roads, power cuts, erratic water supply bane of residents

Residents of the township, which was launched amid much fanfare in 2014 and falls in the Kharar constituency, complain of being denied of basic civic amenities, which are also key election issues for them.

“The fact that roads are broken is something that’s evident, but there’s a sewage problem here too. Close to the club, near DLF, sewage is accumulated for days now. It raises a stink,” said Rajesh Kumar, an advocate residing near DLF, New Chandigarh.

He said: “There is a security problem too. Thefts are common here. When my house was being constructed here, stuff worth lakhs was stolen. There is an erratic power supply and the rates of electricity are also high.”

Shiv Khurmi of Eco City-1, said: “Two months ago, we requested the authorities concerned to mend roads near our house. The road sank after the rain and it was covered with dust. Sewage is a major problem here and the stink emanating from it is unbearable.”

Kuldeep Singh Saini, president of the Resident Welfare Association, said: “Sewage plant is not working. As a result, sewage overflows onto the roads. The society had sent several representations to the Deputy Commissioner, voicing concerns over the safety in the area. However, our pleas have fallen on deaf ears”.

“We have asked the DC to get police patrolling done in the area, at least once a night. In response, they said there was not enough staff. We have deployed security guards on our own,” he said.