WATER CRISIS

Cong civic body threatens shaking off water responsibility

COOCH BEHAR, Dec. 29: The Congress-run Cooch Behar Municipality wants to shake off the responsibility of water supply in the town. State public health engineering department had handed over the responsibility to them in 2003.

 

Chairman of Cooch Behar Municipality Mr Biren Kundu said, "The state government had passed on the responsibility of water supply to the citizens and it was handed over by the PHE department in 2003. But, as the government failed to keep the promises that they agreed then, we are not eager to shoulder the responsibility any more."

 

The aggrieved chairman recalled that the state PHE department had agreed to extend Rs 31-lakh per year for maintenance of the tubewells as many of those were more than ten years old then. But, the civic body have to spend a similar amount to pay power bills, salaries of operators and other purposes. They also promised that they would erect two overhead reservoirs but those are yet to be constructed, Mr Kundu said.

 

Now, it is impossible for the civic body to carry on the responsibility of water supply in the town against Rs 31-lakh per year. "Moreover, we do not even receive that assured sum regularly. At present, we are to get about Rs 15-lakh from the PHE department", Mr Kundu said.

 

The chairman, who is also the president of Cooch Behar District Congress, said they had tried to build up two overhead reservoirs with money collected from a lottery-draw but the administration stopped that draw alleging it was an illegal one. Actually, the ruling party of the state did it with political motivation through the administration, he alleged.

 

Mr Kundu said they sank a few tubewells on their own and started construction of two overhead reservoirs in the town to ease the water crisis. He alleged that the government was doing nothing to keep the promises it made during handing over the responsibility of water supply. "In this perspective we like to shake off the responsibility and we conveyed the matter to the ministers concerned, PHE officials and the district magistrate", he said. The civic body should not be blamed if a law and order situation arises over water crisis in the town, he said.

 

On the otherhand, a senior PHE official in Cooch Behar said they hand over the fund to the civic body as they receive from the government. The PHE has no role in it, he said. []