Stormwater disposal project damages sewerage, water connections in Rohtak

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, June 9

Residents of Street Numbers 1 and 2 of Mahabir Colony in the city have been miserable for several days as their sewerage and potable water supply connections were damaged due to the laying of stormwater disposal pipes.

“Over a fortnight ago, the pipe laying work was initiated by digging both the streets. All water and sewage connections were damaged in the process. The work has now been halted. Toilets of many houses are overflowing, forcing residents to use public toilets in other areas,” said Sandeep Sharma, a resident of Mahabir Colony.

Monu, another resident, said venturing outside their house was not easy as the streets had been dug up. “We have raised the issues before the authorities and also filed a complaint at the CM window, but the situation remains the same,” he said.

Nightmare for residents

Over a fortnight ago, pipe-laying work was initiated after digging the streets. However, water and sewerage connections were damaged in the process. Toilets are overflowing, forcing residents to use public toilets in other areas. — Sandeep Sharma, Mahabir colony

Sanjay, another resident, demanded that the district authorities should repair the damaged water and sewage connections and complete the pipe-laying work at the earliest. Meanwhile, local Congress MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra inspected the pipe-laying work in Mahabir Colony.

“Women started weeping when I reached there as they have been facing a lot of difficulty in even answering nature’s call following the damage of their sewage connection. Besides, they are compelled to buy water to meet their daily requirement. I have sought a reply from Public Health and Engineering Department officials on this blunder,” Batra told ‘The Tribune’. He maintained it was the responsibility of the contractor and the authorities to restore the connections if they got damaged during the digging work, but instead of solving the problem, they have left the people on their own.

“The authorities have been given two days’ time to resolve the issue, otherwise I, along with colony residents, will stage a dharna to highlight the miserable condition of people at the state level,” Batra added.

The PHED officials sent water tankers to the colony on receiving phone calls of the MLA. They also dispatched a sewage suction machine.