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Sewage floods city streets after discom snaps power to Govindpuram STP over pending bills
Numerous roads in Govindpuram and surrounding localities have remained flooded with overflowing sewage for past several days as the electricity department snapped
Numerous roads in Govindpuram and surrounding localities have remained flooded with overflowing sewage for past several days as the electricity department snapped the power supply to Ghaziabad development authority’s 56-MLD sewage treatment plant (STP) here. GDA officials said the STP caters to multiple localities of Govindpuram, Swarn Jayanti Puram and Karpuripuram, among others.
On Wednesday, the issue was discussed by residents with GDA officials, who were apprised about the situation. An inquiry showed that the root cause of this flooding was a pending electricity bill of about ₹24 lakh, out of which partial payment was made.
“The bill came down to about ₹16 lakh which also included some surcharges on account of non-payment. We have sent an executive engineer to address the issue and things will soon return to normal. The STP is of 56MLD capacity but it is presently treating about 26 MLD sewerage from several localities,” GDA chief engineer VN Singh said.
“We have arranged for a generator as an alternative source of power to the STP to continue its operation. But this is a stop-gap arrangement and normal functioning would not resume without a steady source of electricity. So, there has been an issue of sewage overflow in the localities,” Singh added.
“The STP is not operating properly for past couple of days as its power supply has been snapped by the electricity department. The residents have to wade through filthy streets filled with sewage water. The situation worsens with each passing day. The authority must act soon,” said Sohanvir Singh, a resident of Govindpuram.
The officials of the Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) said they have about ₹13-14 crore pending in bills from different government departments.
“The amount pending with the government departments is huge and we often get partial payments. The power connection of the STP was snapped about a week ago. GDA officials came to inquire and have been told the breakup of the pending amount. They have promised that pending payment will be made within 3-4 days. The connection to the STP was restored Wednesday evening,” PVVNL chief engineer (distribution) RK Rana said.
