Bijendra Ahlawat
Faridabad, February 26
Residents of 24 villages that came under the civic limits more than two years ago are upset over the degradation of basic facilities.
Over Rs 1,100 crore was transferred to the Urban Local Bodies Department by the panchayats of the 24 villages after these were included in the civic limits. After the inclusion in the civic limits, the Faridabad Municipal Corporation (MC) was expected to carry out all development works, but residents are upset over the poor upkeep of the basic infrastructure. They say their condition has deteriorated.
Harveer Tewatia from Kheri Kalan says civic amenities have worsened in most of the villages since their inclusion in the civic body.
“There has been degradation of civic facilities in our village. No one is taking care of the amenities like drinking water, streetlights, sewage and garbage disposal,” says Jaswant Panwar of Chandawali. He claimed that his village, known for its CCTV coverage and efficient civic management, now suffers from improper cleanliness and poor maintenance of drains and streetlights.
Krishan Kumar, former sarpanch of Malerna village, rues the poor upkeep of civic amenities since the inclusion of the village in the MC limits. He says the situation has depreciated in the wake of poor or no response from the civic authorities.
Naresh Shastri, president, Haryana Municipal Employees Union, says though the incorporated villages, having a population of 2.5 lakh, require over 200 civic employees, there are only 54 workers available. He says while 106 employees recruited by the panchayats are yet to be absorbed, those transferred to the MC did not receive their salaries between January and December 2021.
“The issues and complaints of residents are being taken up in a planned manner,” says a senior MC official.
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