Patna: Patliputra residents relieved

PATNA: The residents of Patliputra Housing Society in the city heaved a sigh of relief after the second pump got repaired following a month of their suffering from acute water shortage amid lockdown.

However, some of the residents said the pressure of water supply was low and feared the crisis again. One of the residents, Ashok Kumar (75), said on Wednesday the pressure of water supply was very low due to which overhead storage tank was not getting filled.

“The same is the situation every summer,” he said.

Kumar said they pay taxes to Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) after the housing society came under its jurisdiction three years ago, but the society office-bearers put pressure to pay it instead. “The society moved lower court over the jurisdiction issue, but the case was dismissed. It later moved the Patna high court where the matter is pending,” he said, adding there are around 350 families in the society.

Another resident Madhur Kamal (65) said she started receiving water supply on Wednesday after the last several days. Kamal, who is living there for the last 45 years, said, “I had asked a PMC tax collector for help, but he advised me to contact the ward councillor,” she said.

Society’s secretary Rajendra Narayan Singh (68) said one of the two pumps, which had malfunctioned, was repaired on Tuesday. “Both pumps are now functioning,” he said, citing lack of availability of mechanic amid lockdown as the reason for the pump not repaired. “PHED had helped us in the past,” he said.

He said the case is pending before high court over jurisdiction issue. “The PMC is collecting taxes from residents resulting in fall in society’s income while it looks after water supply, drainage and other issues,” he said.

Municipal commissioner Himanshu Rai had told TOI that PHED maintained water supply pumps in ward number 22 A, B and C, that includes society. “We will take over these pumps from PHED soon to resolve the issue as the society is now under PMC jurisdiction,” Rai said.