Dharmasala ward watch - Khajanchi Mohalla: Poor water supply, dug-up roads irk locals

Lalit Mohan

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Dharamsala, March 19

The residents of Ward 5, also known as Khajanchi Mohalla, complain that roadside parking of vehicles along narrow lanes, poor water supply and roads dug up by telecom companies inconvenience them a lot.

Jyoti Thapa, a resident of the area, alleged that the water supply to their area was very poor. They generally get drinking water supply for about one hour a day. In summers, however, they get one-hour water supply every second day, he added.

“As per the IPH Department officials, the water supply to the region comes from a natural stream. The water in the stream gets reduced in summers and so does the supply to the people. The summers are here and we are already facing water shortage. The authorities concerned should find some permanent solution to the water problem,” he said.

Gurdev Singh, another resident of the area, said, “During the BJP rule, the road from Kotwali Market to Khaniara was widened to remove black spots. Interestingly, the PWD found black spots only in front of the properties of VIPs residing in the area. To add to the problem, at certain places, the widened road has been encroached upon by people who use these spots for parking vehicles.

“Despite the fact that crores of rupees were spent on the road widening, traffic jams in the area remain a perennial problem. Every day, the people face traffic jams. The authorities should free the encroached portions from illegal parking so that the area residents get a respite from jams,” he said.

Dalip Kumar, another resident of the area, said the main road passing through the ward — from Kotwali Market to Khaniara — was strengthened and metalled two years ago. “Certain portions of the road that were damaged by landslides in monsoons have not been repaired yet. Besides the telecom companies have dug up trenches along the road which have been filled with loose soil, posing a threat to commuters,” he said.

Many residents also complain of the lack of permanent dustbins in the area. They said the Municipal Corporation’s door-to-door garbage collection facility was not available in the narrow lanes of the ward. Trash collectors generally avoid the narrow lanes, claiming that their vehicle cannot enter the area, the residents said. This leaves people living in old areas with no option but to dispose their garbage in open spaces.

Many residents also rue the lack of any public parking or park in the area.