Protest against water shortage in Theog areas
Shimla, July 22
Even as it has been raining steadily over the last few days, people from areas near Theog staged a protest for water at the office of the Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) here today. The protesters, led by MLA Theog Rakesh Singha, had not vacated the SJPNL premises till late in the evening as the talks with SJPNL remained inconclusive.
The protesters have been demanding 2.5 lakh litres of water every day from the Giri Water Scheme for the areas in the vicinity of the scheme at Bhekalti, where one of the tanks of the scheme has been built.
SJPNL Managing Director Pankaj Lalit maintains that it’s difficult to accede to the demand of the protesters as the Giri Water Scheme is exclusively for Shimla and the SJPNL Board of Directors has decided not to grant connections outside the MC limits until the Sutlej bulk water supply scheme to Shimla becomes functional. “We barely get enough water to meet the need of Shimla residents. The protesters should talk to Jal Shakti Vibhag,” he said.
Meanwhile, the protesters are not ready to give up their claim on the water of the Giri Water Scheme. “The SJPNL had made a commitment to provide water to the nearby villages near Bhekalti. Tenders were floated and even the work was allotted to lay the pipelines, but the plan was cancelled at the last moment,” said Satyawan Pundir, a protester.
Women, too, came in large number to the SJPNL office and were angry. “Jal Shakti Vibhag gives us water once in 20 days, and that too just enough to fill one drum. How are we supposed to run our households and look after our cattle with just this much water?” asked a woman from Tatkar.
“There are no natural sources left from where we can fetch water. We have to go to a village 3 km away to fetch drinking water. Due to narrow paths covered by tall grass, this too becomes difficult,” she said. The protesters are extremely upset with Jal Shakti Vibhag supply and allege that much of the supply is diverted to hotels and home stays coming up rapidly in the area.
Besides, the protesters are demanding compensation for the damages they have suffered because of the leaking water from the pipes of the scheme.
