HSVP employees get notice for rearing cattle inside Basai Water Treatment Plant

Fearing that domesticated cattle, such as cows and buffaloes, belonging to the employees of Haryana Sahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), can cause nuisance inside the

Fearing that domesticated cattle, such as cows and buffaloes, belonging to the employees of Haryana Sahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), can cause nuisance inside the water treatment plant (WTP) at Basai, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) issued a notice on Friday, asking the owners to move the animals out of the plant’s premises.

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The GMDA official, who is in charge of the WTP, has compiled a list of cattle and their owners. As per the list, there are about 17 to 20 cows and buffaloes present inside the plant, whose milk is sold by their owners to make a profit. According to the official, they do so at the cost of the government property, thereby posing a risk to the Basai WTP.

These animals are owned by the employees of the Haryana Sahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), who have been allotted quarters inside the water treatment plant. The authority has now sent a notice to every owner, ordering them to remove the animals by March-end, said the GMDA official.

The Basai WTP is spread roughly over 11 acres of land, along the Delhi-Rewari railway track, at Sector 100 near the Basai railway overbridge. Inside the plant, there are government quarters for lower-ranking government employees, who have been staying there ever since the plant was inaugurated 20 years ago by the HSVP. Later, the plant’s management was transferred to the GMDA in October 2018.

Inside the plant, there are three raw water storage tanks, which are 20-25 feet deep, and three water chlorination tanks of similar depth. The GMDA’s move comes in the wake of a recent incident when a cow fell into one such tank, and it took authorities several hours to rescue the cow alive.

“Besides, there are electric transformers, drains and sensitive equipment to which damages can be done by these animals. They are strictly prohibited inside the plant. Their owners are government employees, who are living inside the government quarters for years. We are concerned about the security of the water treatment plant and the safety of the animal. A cow fell in a tank and we pulled the cow after hours of a rescue operation. Animals can be electrocuted too,” said Abhinav Verma, GMDA executive engineer.

The Basai WTP’s capacity is 270 million litres daily (MLD) and it is the city’s first such water plant connected with the Yamuna canal at Kakroi in Sonepat. The plant feeds half of the city with treated canal water on a daily basis.

When contacted, one of the owners, on the condition of anonymity, said, “We are looking for a suitable place in the nearby area. We will certainly remove them as soon as we get a new place. We are careful about these animals roaming inside the plant, which has grass and green fields.”