Residents of Shanti Nagar resist laying of illegal pipeline connection

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Residents of Shanti Nagar, located on Begu Road, have filed a petition with the Chief Minister of Haryana, demanding an immediate halt to the illegal laying of a pipeline that is connected to their colony’s tubewell.

According to the Shanti Nagar Welfare Society members, the issue began when a new colony, being developed on nearby agricultural land, started laying a 4-inch pipeline to connect to Shanti Nagar’s existing tubewell. The pipeline, which stretches over 500 metres, was installed without any permission from the authorities.

Shanti Nagar residents, including Pawan Pariik, Nand Sethi, Manoj Agarwal, Sanjay Saini, Deepak Kumar and others, explained that the colony's existing tubewell, installed by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHE) in 2017, was already old and providing limited water. They were struggling with the shortage of water and the new illegal connection would make the situation worse, they warned.

When the residents noticed the illegal construction, they raised objections, labourers temporarily stopped the work, but the residents were still worried that the pipeline might be reconnected.

In their application to the Chief Minister as well as to officials from the PHE Department and the District Collector, the residents have demanded that the pipeline be removed immediately. They have also called for strict legal action against those responsible for laying the illegal pipeline.

The residents fear that if the pipeline is not removed, Shanti Nagar will face even greater water shortages, making it even harder for them to access clean drinking water. They are united in their call for action to prevent a crisis in their community.

When contacted regarding the ongoing issue of an illegal pipeline being laid near Shanti Nagar, Dr Jaswant Singh, Senior Engineer (SE) of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHE), Sirsa Circle, stated that he was unaware of the situation. He confirmed that he was unaware of the matter.

Dr Singh clarified that the department was not involved in laying the pipeline, stressing that it was not a project being carried out by the PHE. He further suggested that the Executive Engineer (XEN) might have more information on the matter.

Attempts to reach the XEN for a comment were unsuccessful, as the phone calls went unanswered.