Residents ordered to clean civic body’s mess
Gram panchayat asks residents to stop emptying sewage on roads or face police action. Install drainage lines and the problem will be solved, counter residents
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, September 23, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=20100923201009230329145118433faea)
Ghuma residents were in for a shock when they received a panchayat notice threatening them with police action if sewage spills on to roads. Issuing notices to more than 35 societies so far, the panchayat has also threatened to cut off their water connections if they failed to comply. Residents, however, claim that the panchayat is asking them to clean up its mess.
“They imposed tax but failed to install water supply and drainage lines. Now, they are threatening us with police action. How fair is this?” asks Bharat Patel, chairman of Kabir Enclave.
He says, “Due to lack of drainage lines, most societies have installed soak pits. When it fills up, we call private agencies to empty it. This exercise costs us Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 a month. And now the panchayat has sent us notices, threatening to cut our water connections. It is ironic because the panchayat does not provide us with water either. Most societies draw water from their borewells.”
Residents feel harassed. “We have to empty the sewage somewhere. In most cases, societies dump it in the nearest vacant plot. The water stagnating in the plot stinks. It has turned into an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Sewage also eats into tar, damaging roads,” says Dighant Dave, a resident of Siddhi Sangath Flats.
“The water from nearby plots seep into basements of apartments, weakening its foundation. Residents are scared for their safety,” says Ramesh Patel, a resident of Siddhi Sangath Apartment.
Kirit Patel, a resident of Kabir Enclave, said, “The panchayat is adding on to our woes. They have to provide us with a solution. Either lay proper pipelines or give us a place to dump the sewage. Charge us extra money, but we just need somebody to solve this issue as soon as possible.”
Saumya Bungalows, Jaldeep Bungalows, Brijnandan Bungalows and Rushil Bungalows share the same road. Since their area is low-lying, sewage released by other societies collect in this area. “The panchayat does not clean this area. There is garbage on the road. A nearby plot is brimming with sewage water. During monsoon, the area converts into one big, dirty lake. As people cannot use cars, they hire tractors to access main areas,” says Brijesh Purohit, a resident of Hari Om Nagar. He adds, “It has been eight days since it last rained, yet there are societies that are still using machines to pump out water.”
Sarpanch Shardaben Thakore said, “We issued notices after several residents complained to us about the dirty state of roads in the village. We had installed drainage lines earlier. However, when new roads were laid, some pipelines got damaged, some got blocked.”
She adds, “We agree that there should be better water supply and drainage lines. We are doing the best with the grant given to us by the government. Unfortunately, we are unable to match the pace of development here.”
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, September 23, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=20100923201009230329145118433faea)
Ghuma residents were in for a shock when they received a panchayat notice threatening them with police action if sewage spills on to roads. Issuing notices to more than 35 societies so far, the panchayat has also threatened to cut off their water connections if they failed to comply. Residents, however, claim that the panchayat is asking them to clean up its mess.
“They imposed tax but failed to install water supply and drainage lines. Now, they are threatening us with police action. How fair is this?” asks Bharat Patel, chairman of Kabir Enclave.
He says, “Due to lack of drainage lines, most societies have installed soak pits. When it fills up, we call private agencies to empty it. This exercise costs us Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 a month. And now the panchayat has sent us notices, threatening to cut our water connections. It is ironic because the panchayat does not provide us with water either. Most societies draw water from their borewells.”
Residents feel harassed. “We have to empty the sewage somewhere. In most cases, societies dump it in the nearest vacant plot. The water stagnating in the plot stinks. It has turned into an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Sewage also eats into tar, damaging roads,” says Dighant Dave, a resident of Siddhi Sangath Flats.
“The water from nearby plots seep into basements of apartments, weakening its foundation. Residents are scared for their safety,” says Ramesh Patel, a resident of Siddhi Sangath Apartment.
Kirit Patel, a resident of Kabir Enclave, said, “The panchayat is adding on to our woes. They have to provide us with a solution. Either lay proper pipelines or give us a place to dump the sewage. Charge us extra money, but we just need somebody to solve this issue as soon as possible.”
Saumya Bungalows, Jaldeep Bungalows, Brijnandan Bungalows and Rushil Bungalows share the same road. Since their area is low-lying, sewage released by other societies collect in this area. “The panchayat does not clean this area. There is garbage on the road. A nearby plot is brimming with sewage water. During monsoon, the area converts into one big, dirty lake. As people cannot use cars, they hire tractors to access main areas,” says Brijesh Purohit, a resident of Hari Om Nagar. He adds, “It has been eight days since it last rained, yet there are societies that are still using machines to pump out water.”
Sarpanch Shardaben Thakore said, “We issued notices after several residents complained to us about the dirty state of roads in the village. We had installed drainage lines earlier. However, when new roads were laid, some pipelines got damaged, some got blocked.”
She adds, “We agree that there should be better water supply and drainage lines. We are doing the best with the grant given to us by the government. Unfortunately, we are unable to match the pace of development here.”
