Handpump Breaks Down After Repair, Councillor’s Husband Tries ‘Rope Jugaad’ To Fix In MP's Chhatarpur

Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh): A handpump near the official residences of senior officials in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur has become a talking point after it broke down just a day after being repaired, forcing the local councillor’s husband to try a ‘rope jugaad’ to make it work.

The handpump is located near the Police Line intersection in the Purana Panna area of Chhatarpur, close to the official residences of the Collector, District Panchayat CEO and Municipal Council CMO.

According to residents of Ward 16, the handpump remained out of order for around seven days.

Municipal workers eventually repaired it, but it allegedly stopped working again the very next day.

Residents had complained about the problem to Ward 16 councillor Geeta Dinesh Tiwari. When her husband, Dinesh Tiwari alias Mama, was passing through the area, residents stopped him and questioned him over the faulty handpump.

“You come personally to ask for votes; why don’t you come personally to get the handpump repaired?” residents reportedly asked.

Following this, Tiwari himself tried to make the handpump operational by tying a rope in place of its chain.

Tiwari also alleged irregularities in the repair work carried out by the municipality.

“Two parts might be faulty, yet a bill is raised for eight parts. This is what is called corruption,” he alleged.

He claimed that the councillor was not informed when municipal workers came to repair handpumps, making it difficult to verify which parts were actually replaced.

The allegations have not been independently verified.

The incident has raised questions over the municipality’s maintenance of basic drinking water facilities, especially as the faulty handpump is located close to the official residences of senior district officials.