Chennai: Parts of North Chennai including high profile RK Nagar are witnessing a drinking water shortage. Residents complained that their locality has lost the attention of civic authorities after the election commission announced the cancellation of bypoll last week. Every year during summer sewage enters drinking water pipelines due to low water pressure and this year, thanks to the RK Nagar bypoll, this problem was not there till last week. After the withdrawal of model code of conduct the perennial problem is back to haunt resident of VOC and Sivaji Nagar, said civic activist E. Ramadosan of R K Nagar. In the past one year at least 15 complaints were given by residents and civic activists seeking better amenities, but during the bypoll campaign civic woes like garbage stagnation, mosquito menace and water shortage were addressed. Now, sanitary workers are missing from the constituency. The frequency of metro water tankers supplying drinking water to RK Nagar has also visibly decreased, Ramadosan alleged.
However, metro water engineers refuted the allegation by local residents. "We continue the daily trips to RK Nagar and nothing has changed post bypoll cancellation," said a metro water official. Meanwhile the case of other localities in north Chennai is even worse in Kosapet, Otteri and Choolai. "Kosapet residents are upset with the callous attitude of Chennai metro water and sewerage board department for delaying the new drinking water pipeline works. Despite being the regular payers of water tax, residents are forced to shell out extra amounts on water tankers", fumed M. Sekar, a state government staff residing in Venkatesa Naicken street of Kosapet. Metro officials promised to complete the water supply scheme by January 2017, but there are no signs of project progress. At least 500 families are aggravated by the poor supply of drinking water. The families without borewells have no choice but to rely on the water tankers, he added.
Attributing the delay to multiple reasons, a metro water official said, "Initially, there was a lack of funds. Funds havd been disbursed and we will start the works as soon as the Chennai corporation completes the road laying work here." However the metro water authorities remained non-committal on project deadline.
