Shimla residents upset over contaminated water supply

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 29

Fearing another outbreak of jaundice, residents of Sector 5 in New Shimla today demanded action against erring officials and compensation for the mental torture they had to go through for three days. They said JCB machines damaged the pipeline and the sewer line near Vikasnagar and that they were supplied contaminated water.

The residents said they had to make do without potable water for three days as they could not take the risk of consuming contaminated water.

Last week, HIMUDA had laid the foundation stone of a shopping complex in Vikasnagar. The breach in the water and sewerage lines was caused when the PWD and HIMUDA pressed its JCB machines to clear the debris.

“The area is stinking,” said Prince, a local. The PWD wing of the National Highway which maintains the Shimla-Vikasnagar-Dhalli bypass has failed to clear the sewage near the petrol station at Vikasnagar, making the lives of the residents miserable.

“As the state government has included 80 different services under the Public Service Guarantee Act, it is the responsibility of the SMC, the IPH and HIMUDA to provide clean potable water to the residents,” said Dr Mamta Mokta, president, Residents’ Welfare Association, Sector 5. “The responsibility should be fixed and the culprits should be penalised. We should be compensated,” demanded residents.

Shimla Municipal Corporation Assistant Commissioner Prashant Sirkek said as soon as they learnt about the damage, they alerted the residents asking them not to use the water. “We sent water tankers to the area and asked the residents to clean their tanks as a precautionary measure,” he added.