Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Residents of the Hinotia Alam Housing for All (HFA) apartments faced a severe water crisis as supply remained disrupted for the past four days.
Agitated by the situation, around 50 residents staged a protest outside the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters on Thursday, which continued for nearly four hours.
During the demonstration, a woman fainted at the main gate due to intense heat, highlighting the distress among residents. Protesters, including women and children, raised slogans against the BMC, demanding immediate restoration of water supply.
According to residents, water distribution in the colony is managed by a private worker, Ranveer Ahirwar, who controls the piped water supply. He has allegedly stopped operations due to non-payment of his salary, leading to the disruption.
The BMC, on the other hand, attributed the crisis to pending maintenance dues. Officials said residents have not paid maintenance charges for a long time, resulting in outstanding dues of around Rs 40 lakh. This has prevented payments to the agency responsible for upkeep and water supply.
Residents countered the claim, saying they withheld payments due to inadequate services, including poor sanitation and contaminated water. They expressed willingness to pay maintenance charges provided basic facilities are improved.
R K Goyal, head of the HFA department, confirmed that non-payment of dues has impacted service delivery, leading to the current situation.
