The Opposition members, on Friday, grilled the treasury bench over the issues related to water scarcity and waterlogging during the budget meeting of Jabalpur Municipal Corporation organized at Pt. Bhawani Prasad Tiwari auditorium.

 

 

 

The Opposition members one after the other spoke at length over the irregularities and corruption prevailing in water department of the JMC. They said the overlooking of ruling party members and JMC administration is providing dear the denizens, who have been forced to face severe water scarcity during scorching summer. Congress Corporators alleged that the water department has fixed meters to the cost of Rs 5 crores in domestic water connections but the civic body has no metre readers. Most of the metres have either get damaged or been stolen.

 

They also denounced harshly the treasury bench for paying utter negligence in ensuring supply of pure drinking water to the citizens. Leader of Opposition, Rajesh Sonkar, State Minister's representative, Mukesh Rathore and others said the water department never pays heed to water testing. It takes water sample from water filteration plant after completing water supply. Rathore said it is surprising that the JMC has ensured water testing facility at only Lalpur water filtration plant amongst the six big plants the JMC has to supply water to 79 wards of the city.

 

Opposition members further alleged that the city has ample water sources but due to negligence and infightings in water department, the denizens have not been provided with needed amount of water. They said the civic body has constructed as many as 16 overhead tanks under AMRUT Yojana but it is paying negligence in supply water from the tanks. They also leveled serious charges of corruption. Congress Corporators said concerned officials and other authorities at JMC have misused crores of rupees in the name of maintenance and repairing of main rising lines. Most of the opposition members alleged that residents of their wards are not getting sufficient water. People have been provided with impure water. Later, Incharge, Water Department, Shriram Shukla informed the House that the department is making all efforts to provide ample water to the denizens. He said baring some hilly areas maximum areas of the city are getting water in good quantity. The JMC is supplying potable water to denizens of hilly areas through optional means. Brushing aside Opposition's allegations of water scarcity, Shukla said people have been provided with sufficient water and no severe water scarcity is prevailing in the city. He while assuring the Opposition members that their valuable suggestions would be included in final budget, said no stone would be left unturned to provide best civic amenities, especially pure potable water to the denizens. Later, the Opposition members also created pandemonium over waterlogging. They alleged that every year the city faces massive waterlogging despite the ruling party members and JMC administration do nothing to rid people of the problem. Year after year the problem is taking serious turn. Now even posh localities of the city have to face waterlogging. The Congress Corporators said the monsoon is about to hit the city and the civic body has not precise plan to avoid and tackle situations if occur during heavy rains. They demanded the Chairperson to direct for concrete steps to resolve the problem.

After prolonged debate the meeting was adjourned till 11 am, on Monday.