GUWAHATI, Dec 31 - Guwahati Jal Board has come under fire in various localities of the city as its pipe-laying works have posed a serious threat to public life and property.
In protest against the failure of authorities concerned to construct a proper retaining wall to protect a community hall which is under threat due to the pipe-laying works, a large section of the people in Krishnanagar area of Chandmari have stopped the water supply project works of the Guwahati Jal Board in the area.
The pipeline, which has been laid along the road in the area, is the main pipeline carrying water to the downstream areas of entire south Guwahati.
Locals fear this project can pose threats of accidents in this landslide-affected area due to �slipshod� laying of pipes.
The ongoing construction work of a community hall of Krishna Nagar Rajahuwa Namghar Samity, partially funded by Guwahati MP Bijoya Chakraborty under her MPLAD fund, has been halted following the pipe-laying works.
�Considering the strategic location of the area, the authorities concerned should construct a retaining wall in the area at the earliest,� people of the locality said.
�We won�t allow any Guwahati Jal Board-related work in the area until and unless authorities concerned construct a retaining wall,� the protesting locals said.
In the areas adjacent to Krishnanagar Rajahuwa Namghar, pipelines were laid under the South Central Water Supply Project. The road on which the pipelines were laid covers parts of Krishnanagar, Rudra Nagar, Amiya Nagar and is one of the prime roads of the South Central Water Supply Project. Some 10,000 people use this road daily.
The South Central Water Supply Project will supply water from a new 191 MLD water treatment plant located at Kharghuli under a project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Construction of pipelines and reservoirs began in early 2010 and work on the treatment plant commenced in October, 2012. This project�s contractor is IVRCL, a public limited company.
During February-March, 2016, for laying the big pipes of the project, the authorities concerned dug the entire road without taking any precautionary measures, locals alleged, adding that the earth which came out from the excavation work had submerged the nearby drains. During the rainy season, this created havoc in the area as the blocked drain failed to accommodate rainwater from the hills and gradually the entire water flow was diverted to the public community hall. During the rainy season, massive landslides were witnessed in the area posing a serious threat to the entire project.
On March 22, 2016, the Krishnanagar Rajahuwa Namghar Samity wrote a letter to the Guwahati Jal Board, requesting it to construct a proper retaining wall on its west side near the public road to protect the community hall.
�We have moved from pillar to post to protect the proposed community hall. The people in the area are very much in need of a community hall here. But due to the callous attitude of the Guwahati Jal Board the fate of this much-awaited project is in doldrums,� said Jayanta Kumar Goswami, general secretary of Krishnanagar Rajahuwa Namghar.
�Even after visiting the Guwahati Jal Board office on numerous occasions, no senior officer has shown interest to meet us. Every time we visit the office, they try to pass on the buck to others,� he alleged.
Bhupen Deka, secretary of Krishnanagar Krishti Bikash Kendra severely criticised the authorities concerned for not constructing the retaining wall in the greater interest of the people of the locality.
�It�s disgusting that Guwahati Jal Board, PMC and IVRCL are totally neglecting the public interest for reasons best known to them. Officials of these organisations are trying to destroy a property which has been partially funded by Guwahati MP Bijoya Chakraborty,� he regretted.
Vice-president of the Krishnanagar wing of Mahila Samity, Sumitra Baishya, expressed serious concern over the abnormal delay in construction of the community hall. �Due to the poor planning of the authorities concerned, the whole temple has been surrounded by mud, soil, garbage etc., coming from the drains. This has affected the atmosphere of the temple,� she said.
