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Protesting contaminated water supply Ludhiana residents make themselves at home at MC office
On Thursday morning, the Ludhiana MC office had found itself unexpectedly hosting a resolute bunch of unannounced guests who insisted on taking a bath and brushing their teeth at the MC office as there water supply was contaminated
Contaminated water in the pipeline would send anybody scurrying to a a friend or relative’s house. However, when the issue was not resolved for 20 days, irate Atam Nagar residents moved in with the municipal authorities at their Zone D office armed with their own toothbrushes, buckets and carpets to boot!
On Thursday morning, the MC office had found itself unexpectedly hosting a resolute bunch of unannounced guests who insisted on taking a bath and brushing their teeth at the MC office. They refused to be escorted to their own homes, saying that they could hardly use the stinking water that was being sent to their taps. Having performed their morning rituals at the government office, the quirky protesters decided to camp at the MC office at night as well. They laid down their carpets at the entrance and settled in for the night.
The protesters that were led by former youth Congress president Gurjeet Singh Shinh refused to budge on Friday morning as well, but were finally convinced to return to their respective homes when deputy mayor Sarvjit Kaur’s husband Jarnail Shimlapuri intervened.
The MC officials also assured the protesters that potable water was being supplied to the area and that regular inspections will be conducted to ensure that sewer waste does not contaminate the water supply.
Shinh said, “The issue has been recurring for two years. Each time authorities make temporary arrangements whenever a complaint is submitted, but the problem continues to persist. When our complaint was not resolved for 20 days, we had to raise a round-the-clock agitation on the MC premises to get authorities’ attention. After all, how can we sleep at our houses without potable water supply?”
Superintending engineer Ravinder Garg said, “The problem has been resolved and teams are inspecting water supply and sewer lines in the area to check for any leakages, which may recontaminate the water.”
