Choked sewers: Abohar residents hold protest

ABOHAR: Infuriated over appalling sewerage conditions prevailing for a long time in Abohar a subdivision of Fazilka district, residents staged a protest and blocked the Abohar-hanumangarh road for several hours on Monday.

“Not only is the sewerage choked but water is accumulating in our streets along with contamination of water supply too. This is a regular problem in localities as Nanak Nagri, old Suraj Nagri, New Abadi, Aryan Nagar and Anand Nagri besides other low-lying areas of Abohar,” said protesters.

“The situation is worsening day by day and repeated complaints to civic authorities have fallen on deaf ears,” said Deepak Mehta, an aggrieved resident.

“Sewerage lines are more than twenty five years old. They choke frequently and are functioning on the mercy of the Almighty,” he added. The laying of a new sewerage system in Abohar has spurred a threat of epidemic as most low lying areas are choked due to the collapse of the old sewerage system.

It may recalled that in October 2017, then Punjab local government minister Navjot Sidhu inaugurated the ₹163-crore project of laying a new sewerage system and facilitation of potable drinking water.

The project was to be complete within a year as promised by authorities, but sewerage lines have been laid only over a mere 53km of the total 86km, in two years.

“Innumerable poor people of the vicinity are regularly afflicted with dengue, high fever, waterborne infections and skin problems. But no one has come to their rescue,” said Sapna Bansal, resident of Ekta colony, pointing to the seeping of sewerage through water supply pipes.

Apprehending an endemic, Davinder Sood, a local said, “The government must wake up. Once an epidemic breaks out, it will be too late.” “The sewerage work was sanctioned under NDA’S flagship programme, AMRUT and subsequently funds were released. But Congress government in the state, Congress leaders are playing politics instead to expediting the work, delaying it for one or another reason,” said BJP MLA from Abohar, Arun Narang.

“The lax attitude is apparent in the construction of ‘water treatment plant’ worth ₹32 crore. So far only 30 percent of work is accomplished,” Narang added.

Protesters demanded stern action against erring officials as well as private companies engaged to lay down new sewerage lines. After agitating for several hours, protesters were pacified by local sub-divisional magistrate Poonam Singh, who assured them of improving the situation by Friday.