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Residents of Ludhiana colony protest over snapping of sewer connections
Three days after illegal sewer connections of around 70 houses in Guru Nanak Nagar Colony near Gill’z Garden (Gill Road) were snapped, residents of the area staged a protest against the Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) and state government on Tuesday
Three days after illegal sewer connections of around 70 houses in Guru Nanak Nagar Colony near Gill’z Garden (Gill Road) were snapped, residents of the area staged a protest against the municipal corporation (MC) and state government on Tuesday.
The action was taken under the ongoing drive to snap illegal sewer connections of 240 colonies within and outside the MC limits and the protesting residents rued that they now have no place to dump sewage.
The area falls under the jurisdiction of Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) and panchayat member Satish Kumar said that the connections were attached with the consent of MC and GLADA in 2017 during the SAD-BJP regime.
“Even if the connection is illegal, the panchayat wasn’t served with a notice before taking action. The authorities should have taken up the matter with the panchayat and we would have paid the fees to get the connection regularised,” said Kumar.
Lambasting municipal authorities and the state government, the panchayat members of the village said that sewer connections of nearby colonies are still attached to MC lines and alleged that a pick-and-choose policy has been adopted to harass them.
Sarpanch Monica stated that snapping the sewer connections without informing the panchayat is wrong and MC should have discussed the matter to find a solution for the problem. “ Where will we dump sewage now? The authorities should also provide a solution for the problem as the connection has been attached to MC lines since 2017 and the matter was never highlighted in the past,” said Monica.
Meanwhile, officials stated that these colonies fall outside city limits and their sewer connections cannot be attached to MC lines. MC executive engineer Ranbir Singh stated that 240 colonies with illegal sewer connections have been identified and a drive is on to snap these connections, as they put additional burden on MC lines. “Residents of Guru Nanak Colony should take up the matter with GLADA and if they have documents, they should submit them with the authorities. The drive will continue in the coming days,” he said.
Residents left in a fix
With no place to dump domestic discharge (sewage), residents of the colony rued that the sewer lines in the area have choked and foul smell is spreading in their houses.
Panchayat member Achhar Singh said that the private sewer lines have also been blocked as the main line is choked. Authorities should find a solution immediately as the residents are also facing trouble in answering nature’s call, he said.
