No supply, irate villagers lock waterworks
Deepender Deswal
Tribune News Service
Bhiwani, August 5
Residents of Tigrana village, who have been facing a shortage of drinking water for a long time, locked the waterworks in the village to register their anger against the authorities concerned on Monday.
Old waterworks not getting enough supply
We have submitted our demands to the district administration officials many times. But there has been no solution. The village, having a population of about 20,000, is dependent on the canal-based water supply in the waterworks from the Nigana feeder. But the old waterworks, which caters to about half of the population of the village, is not getting an adequate supply of raw water due to which the residents are forced to buy water from private tankers. — Naveen Tanwar, Resident
The Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) officials who went to the village after receiving reports of the protest demonstration outside the waterworks were also forced to stay inside the waterworks room for about an hour as the villagers locked up the main gate.
The villagers gathered outside the old waterworks in the morning to register their protest over the short supply of water. Naveen Tanwar, a villager, said they were facing an acute shortage of potable water for the last two years. “We have submitted our demands to the district administration officials many times. But there has been no solution,” he said, adding, “The village, having a population of about 20,000, is dependent on the canal-based water supply in the waterworks from the Nigana feeder. But the old waterworks, which caters to about half of the population of the village, is not getting an adequate supply of raw water due to which the residents are forced to buy water from private tankers.”
Village sarpanch Surender Singh said he had taken up the issue with the administrative officials many times. “I understand the problem of the villagers and I stand with them. When the villagers felt the administration was not listening to their demand, they staged a dharna and also locked the gate of the waterworks in the village,” he said.
The sarpanch said executive engineer Surya Kant, sub-divisional officer Satish and junior engineer Mahender from the PHED were called to the village to apprise them of the situation. “The villagers kept the officials locked inside the waterworks room for about an hour until the police arrived at the spot. The villagers let the officials go only after the police officials intervened and assured them that they would urge the PHED officials to fulfil their demands,” the sarpanch said.
The sarpanch said, besides inadequate water supply, the condition of the old water tanks was not good. “The tanks are in a dilapidated condition. These need repairs immediately,” he said. The sarpanch said the officials left the village following an assurance that they would take up the demand of the villagers for more raw water supply and repair of the water tanks with the higher officials. Executive engineer Surya Kant did not respond to calls for his version.
