Indore (Madhya Pradesh): For residents of Sampat Hills, one of the elite housing societies on the bypass, lack of security is a major cause of concern and there appears to be no immediate solution in sight.
“No security measures have been taken by authorities or jointly by people living in the society. The absence of security guards has meant that each owner has to take care of his own security,” said Prabha Devi, a resident of Sampat Hills.
The front and rear entrances of the society are damaged and the office built for the security guards lies abandoned, so people have to fend for themselves, said Manoj Joshi, another resident.
“The builder has already handed over the possession to the residents of the society, but no one has ever taken the initiative to form an association. The office-bearers of the previous association are nowhere to be found now.” Joshi said, adding, “We take care of our building and manage basic amenities like water supply, electricity, garbage disposal, etc. This residential area cannot be called a society as there is no coordination within the blocks or multi-story buildings.”
Along with the security concerns haunting the residents, they have to deal with water crisis. “There are a few tanks and wells within the premises of the society, but they dry up during the summer. We quench our thirst through water tankers provided by Indore Municipal Corporation and other private sources.” said Joshi.
Even though the residents of the society complain about water scarcity, they have not built rainwater harvesting systems within the society. Even though Indore Municipal Corporation has advised people to install the system and have assured to provide manpower and discount, the society has still not taken any step toward harvesting water.
Plastic, garbage pile up on vacant plots
The absence of hygiene in the vacant plots\spaces in the society worsens the condition. “Garbage is dumped on vacant spaces and plots in the society by the people. This makes the place unhygienic, and adds the risk of diseases spreading,” said Gopi Chauhan, a resident of Sampat Hills.
No maintenance of parks
With no residents' association, there is no one to take care of the gardens. Komal Sthapak, another resident, said, “Park and garden areas of the premises are not maintained and wild bushes have grown in the vacant blocks."
Infrequent patrolling raises concerns
“Although we personally look after the security of our own building, we are still concerned about the security. We have already appealed to the authorities to build a police station near the area. If not, we have appealed for regular police patrolling, which is now done once in five to six days,” said Manoj Joshi, resident, Sampat Hills.
No Narmada pipeline
“We spend Rs 21,000 per week on water for our building where 12 families live. We desperately need the Narmada water pipeline," said Rajendra Sharma, resident, Sampat Hills.
