GUWAHATI, March 12 � Frequent disruptions in the water supply of Assam Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Board (AUWSSB) have been giving the residents of RG Baruah Road a harrowing time.
It has become commonplace for the residents to receive water in trickles even when the supply stays in �working condition.�
�People are now an exasperated lot as disruption in water supply by the AUWSSB) has become a recurring phenomenon. And the reasons cited by the AUWSSB do not cut any ice,� public activist Prof Deven Dutta said, adding that the residents have been compelled to buy water at exorbitant rates to meet their daily needs.
Prof Dutta said that while water pipes occasionally get damaged from heavy vehicles driven in a rash manner, matters were made worse by the negligent authorities, especially those holding higher positions.
Prof Dutta said that in first week of February a major breakdown occurred following burning of draw-and-lift cables near Raj Bhavan resulting in disruption of water supply for several days. �Again, we have been receiving little water since yesterday�no major repair work has been taken up despite sanctioning of funds for the purpose, as the money allotted has not been released,� he said.
Pointing out that the AUWSSB did not have a full-time managing director, Prof Dutta said that the MD of the AUWSSB was also holding the post of the departmental Joint Secretary with the result that he was having little time to look after the affairs of the Board.
Prof Dutta said that the Chief Minister�s bragging about �achievements� contrasted sharply with the suffering of the people for want of even the basic amenities in the State capital. �The so-called people�s representatives betray an attitude that is callous, cavalier and irresponsible,� he added.
To add to the people�s woes, the mobile number of the executive engineer concerned remains switched off for most the time. �I have not been able to contact him as his number remains constantly switched off,� he said, adding that it was not the way an essential service should be run.
