Hundreds of residents of Jai Shakti Nagar, New Puneet Nagar, New Sukhdev Nagar and Guru Nanak Nagar on Saturday staged a protest over the acute water shortage being faced in the area for the past six days, blocking the main Tibba Road near the office of former Congress MLA Sanjay Talwar.
Amid the ongoing heatwave, residents, including women, elderly persons and youths, gathered on the road and raised slogans against the government and the administration, alleging that repeated complaints regarding the water crisis had failed to bring any relief.
The protesters said the situation had become extremely difficult as several households were not receiving even basic drinking water supply. Residents claimed they were being forced to purchase water for daily use, while many families were struggling to cook food due to the shortage.
People alleged that despite a previous protest held over the same issue a few days ago, no permanent solution had been provided by the authorities. Residents said the severe heat conditions had further worsened the crisis, leaving children, senior citizens and women badly affected.
During the protest, slogans demanding immediate restoration of water supply echoed through the area. Residents questioned how people were being forced to survive without water during such extreme temperatures while the government continued to make claims regarding development and improved civic facilities.
Rohit Arora, resident of Jai Shakti Nagar Nagar ward number 15 said, “One week ago, we met mayor Inderjit Kaur and she assured us that water problem will be resolved shortly but nothing has been resolved and it’s been seven days that there is an acute water problem in our areas".
The protest led to a major traffic jam on the busy road, affecting commuters for a considerable time. A fire brigade vehicle also got stuck in the traffic congestion for some time, creating panic among people. Later, police officials managed to clear the route and allowed the vehicle to move ahead.
As the protest intensified, heavy police deployment was made in the area to maintain law and order. Police officials held discussions with the protesters and attempted to pacify the crowd.
Residents also expressed resentment that despite the nearby presence of elected representatives and senior leaders, the issue had remained unresolved for days.
Former MLA Sanjay Talwar also reached the protest site and extended support to the residents. He said access to drinking water was a basic necessity and leaving people without water during intense summer heat was a serious matter. He urged the administration to take immediate steps to restore regular supply in the locality.
He also highlighted that on one side of the government promised Rs 2,500 pension and Rs 1,000 to women but on the other side basic water supply is not available among the residents.
MC officials said there is an electricity problem in these areas and they are going to write a letter to the officials of PSPCL department to ensure electricity during water supply time so that people would not suffer any problem.
