The Hindu : New Delhi News : Protest against water shortage

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 03, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Protest against water shortage

Staff Reporter

`Pani Adalat' to be held on June 7 in front of DJB headquarters

NEW DELHI: Accusing the Delhi Government of adopting a biased approach in supply of drinking water to various parts of the Capital, the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Saket, Vijay Jolly, on Friday announced that he would hold a "Pani Adalat" on June 7 in front of the Delhi Jal Board office at Jhandewalan to protest against the shortage of drinking water in the Sangam Vihar constituency.

In a statement, Mr. Jolly said he had decided to mobilise public opinion against the indifferent attitude of the Delhi Jal Board and demand the right to clean drinking water.

Apart from the residents of his constituency who would be present in large numbers, senior BJP leaders including former Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Vijay Goel would also be present at the protest to listen to the grievances of the people.

Stating that lakhs of people in his constituency had been left high and dry despite repeated requests to the Chief Minister and the Jal Board to connect Sonia Vihar water treatment plant distribution system with Sangam Vihar and adjoining colonies, Mr. Jolly said while the areas falling under the parliamentary constituency of the Chief Minister's son Sandeep Dikshit were getting uninterrupted water supply, people living in South Delhi and South-West Delhi were being subjected to harassment.

The Jal Board, Mr. Jolly said, had failed to put in place water harvesting schemes in his area or dig fresh tube-wells despite allocation of funds from his MLA Constituency Development Fund and replace old and rusted pipelines. Instead Jal Board officials had joined hands with the water mafia in the entire area who were openly selling water to the poor and needy at higher rates after getting the same from the Jal Board filling stations.

Demanding that Sangam Vihar should be connected with the new 140 MGD water treatment plant, Mr. Jolly said he would not sit quiet till proper drinking water arrangement was made for his constituency and the adjoining colonies. He urged all the residents' welfare associations and prominent citizens to take part in the protest programme and put forward their own experiences.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail