Mohali, October 16
Residents of Mullanpur are suffering due to erratic and contaminated water supply to the area for the past one year. They have been staging a protest for two days.
There are only three tube-wells of the Public Health Department for a population of more than 40,000. Most of the times, one or the other tube-well is non-functional. “Valves are always broken and sometimes, motors malfunction. The water supply pipes are old and worn out. There is leakage at multiple places, but no one is bothered,” said Arvind Puri, a social activist and resident of Mullanpur.
There is no provision of generator at any of the tube-wells, they said.
“We have no option but to stage a protest against the government. We have sent a number of letters to the Punjab CM, Power Minister, Water Supply Department, but in vain,” said Suma Saini, a local resident.
Residents also complained about the dereliction of duty by executive engineers and SDOs. “Junior engineers and lower staff are immune to public inconvenience. No helpline number works. We urge the departments concerned to inspect the working of the employees here,” Puri said.
