The Hindu : New Delhi News : Residents left high and dry

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 15, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Residents left high and dry

Staff Reporter

No water in Kaushambi for four days

NEW DELHI: Laxity on part of the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam authorities in restoring water supply to the five group housing societies in the Kaushambi area of the neighbouring Ghaziabad district has left over 1,500 flat owners dejected. Sore over the lackadaisical attitude of the civic authorities, area residents have now not only threatened to launch an agitation but are also planning to approach the higher officials in the State Government with their woes.

Over 5,000 residents in the area have failed to receive any water supply for the past four days due to pipeline bursts at two places. Repeated complaints to the Nagar Nigam authorities as well as to the district administration has failed to yield any result forcing them to buy bottled water at high prices.

"The crisis began on Wednesday morning when a pipeline burst in the area. Despite making repeated complaints to the authorities concerned, it took the civic body over 24-hous to send a contractor to repair the line. However, after the pipeline was repaired and supply resumed on Friday, within 15 minutes there was another pipeline burst, this time at the main supply tank itself," claimed, Mohan Singh, the spokesperson of the Residents Welfare Association of All Five Housing Societies.

Alleging that the underground pipeline laid only a few years by the Ghaziabad Development Authority before handing over the area to the Nagar Nigam was sub-standard, Mr. Singh said the Federation has already lodged complaints about the fault at the civic body's control room as well as in the District Magistrate's office but there was no one to listen to their grievances.

"Even our demand for water tankers has fallen on deaf ears. Interestingly, due to severe water crisis, several residents have already left their homes and staying at other places with their friends and relatives as not a single drop of water was available for the past four days. The Nagar Nigam as well as the district administration has been neglecting the civic problems of our areas despite charging high taxes. Now we are planning to protest against the civic body and will also be approaching higher authorities at Lucknow," he said.

Meanwhile, the GNN officials have assured that the supply would be resumed soon as repair work was going on. Charging the GDA authorities with laying poor quality water pipeline in the area, they said it would take some time to streamline the system as repair and checking work was going on in the area.

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