Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal
Bantwal, Dec 14: A special meeting on drinking water supply issues was held on Thursday, December 12 under the chairmanship of town council president B Vasu Poojary.
Complaints have been raised by the public regarding the improper supply of drinking water due to pipe bursts and damages. However, it was alleged that neither the department nor the contractors have responded to these concerns.
Addressing the issue, assistant executive engineer Ajay R V of the drainage department assured that it is their responsibility to resolve the problems encountered during and after project implementation. He requested that complaints regarding issues from the first phase of the 2019 project be submitted by January 31, as complaints received after this date may not be considered.
“We request the town council members to forward ward-specific issues to the department through the council. These will be resolved systematically,” he added.
Pipeline damages caused by NH works
Speaking on the issue, assistant engineer Shobhalakshmi stated that the contractors working on national highway projects have recklessly damaged drinking water pipelines. She explained that pipes were cut and capped temporarily in areas where land acquisition problems arose during highway construction.
She clarified that the AMRUT project work is still ongoing and assured that the issues caused by highway construction will be addressed within two weeks, following the guidelines outlined in the tender.
Prepared for protest
Members voiced their grievances during the meeting. Member Siddiq Guddeyangadi, representing Panemangalore wards, expressed frustration over water supply issues and threatened to organize a protest if solutions were not provided. He urged the administration to focus on resolving the problems instead of holding meetings.
Former vice president and member Jacinta D’Souza highlighted issues related to pipeline damages, supported by member Gayathri Prakash. Senior member A Govind Prabhu raised concerns about water pipelines lying exposed on roads, questioning, “Is this the kind of project we wanted?”
Prabhu also criticized the department for failing to act on his complaint about a contractor’s worker recording audio and video inside the town council office. Other members supported Prabhu and demanded accountability.
Member Lukman questioned the lack of response to Prabhu’s complaint, prompting officials to apologize.
Shobhalakshmi also brought attention to harassment she faced, stating that she had filed a police complaint after receiving abusive phone calls during the night.
Vice president Monish Ali, members Hariprasad, Zeenath Firoz, Meenakshi Gowda, and Idrees highlighted various issues. Engineer Dominic D'Mello spoke on behalf of the town council, while chief officer Leena Britto was present at the meeting.