Tribune Impact: Rights panel notice to MC chief over erratic, dirty water supply

Taking a suo motu cognisance of news reports highlighting acute water crisis in different sectors of Chandigarh, the Punjab State and Chandigarh (UT) Human Rights Commission has issued notice to Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, seeking a report before the next date of hearing on June 27. Chandigarh Tribune had highlighted the plight of residents grappling with water crisis.

In the order issued today, Justice Sant Parkash, Chairperson of the Commission, said it had perused the detailed news reports under the headlines ‘Erratic water supply irks residents of Kaimbala, Khuda Ali Sher’ and ‘Sector 47D residents fume over dirty water supply’, published on June 15 and June 16, respectively, in The Tribune.

The reports indicated that the residents of Kaimbala, Khuda Ali Sher and Sector 47D were facing acute shortage of safe drinking water with supply at very low pressure for the past many days, the Commission added.

It is further mentioned that many people are forced to pay hefty charges for water tankers and despite repeated complaints by Sector 47D residents, the MC has failed to find a permanent solution.

The Commission has taken cognisance of the matter keeping in view the fact that the public is forced to drink dirty water and also pay hefty amount for hiring water tanker service to meet their daily need of water.

The competent authority has failed to provide the safe drinking water to the public, which is a basic need of a person, it added. The Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, is directed to fix the responsibility of the defaulting officer concerned for non-supply of safe drinking water, which is a violation of human rights of people, the Commission added.

It further directed that an officer of the rank of Joint Commissioner shall appear in person, along with report, after redressal of the public grievance.

A copy of the order, along with the copy of the news reports, be sent to the Commissioner through e-mail and by post for the compliance and to the UT Chief Secretary for information, it added.

In a series reports published over the week, Chandigarh Tribune had highlighted the problems of the city residents. The residents of Sector 47D had said hardly any water was coming from the taps in summer and whatever supply they were getting was so dirty that it cannot be used for household purposes, let alone drinking.

Many other residents complained that despite repeated complaints, no permanent solution had been found by the MC.

The residents had said they were forced to use motors to fill their water tanks, which was putting extra financial burden on them.

Chandigarh