MC wakes up to submersible pump menace

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, September 20

Put on a notice by the Central Ground Water Board on the continuing menace of illegal submersible pumps in the city, the Municipal Corporation is now under immense pressure from the Deputy Commissioner, who has called for an action taken report on a complaint against officials of the O and M branch of the MC for non-action, and in some cases, conniving in the dubious process of sinking new pumps all across the city.

A city-based social activist, Gajjan Singh Jassal, who had filed complaints to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) over sinking of hundreds of new submersible pumps in all four zones of the MC, has stated that the MC officials seemed to have awaken to the problem and action has been taken in quite a few cases where new bores for submersible pumps were sealed and penalty imposed on defaulters.

It has been learnt that almost 150 notices have been issued to residents in Zone C alone during the past one week where submersible pumps were installed or were in the process of being sunk. At least an equal number of notices were in the process of being issued to defaulting residents, business houses and industrial units.

Superintending Engineers Rajinder Singh (Zone A and D) and Ravinder Garg (Zone B and C) said the issue of illegal submersible pumps was being sternly dealt with. “During the past 10 days, action has been taken in at least 12 cases where boring machines were impounded and bores for sinking new pumps filled up in addition to imposition of penalty on defaulting residents,” they said.

Garg rubbished the allegations of connivance by lower-rung filed staff in facilitating sinking of new pumps while asserting that such allegation were being levelled by vested interests and by those who were stopped from installation of submersible pumps.

The MC officials further stated that some particular areas where submersible pumps were being installed were out of the city limits and the civic body had no jurisdiction in such areas to take action against sinking of new pumps to fulfil the requirement of water supply.

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