BHUBANESWAR: Amid scorching heat post the cyclonic catastrophe, slum-dwellers in the City woke up to a water-starved Saturday morning. In most of the slums across City, there was no water as supply was cut off due to power disruption. Despite all preparedness by the Government, its failure to make alternative arrangements to ensure water for people sparked tension in many areas.
Irate residents of Telugu-dominated Kadali Godown (Buddha Nagar) under Ward 42 blocked Kalpana Square for at least an hour to protest non-provisioning of water tanker in the area. Members of around 500 families disrupted vehicular movement along Cuttack-Puri Road to draw Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s attention towards their sufferings.
The protesters were dispersed after Traffic DCP Bijay Kumar Sahu and Laxmisagar IIC Dayanidhi Nayak rushed to the spot. The IIC accompanied a group of five protestors to the BMC office for registering their grievance with the civic body. Around 12.30 pm, a BMC water tanker was sent to the slum, which is home to around 1,000 families.
However, resentment brewed among the slum-dwellers over the water crisis. The lone tubewell in the slum, which could have provided relief to the cyclone-hit residents, had been lying defunct since the last three months. “We have informed both BMC and State Public Health Engineering Department about the defunct tubewell.
But none of the bodies took necessary steps,” said Ganesh Reddy, a resident of the slum. Another resident, Dasu Reddy, claimed that Ward’s corporator Puspanjali Sethi didn’t pay a visit to the area in the recent past. “We see her (the corporator) only before elections. After the cyclone, she should have paid a visit to the slum to know how we are struggling here without water and power,” he added.
The State Government’s primary focus was on evacuation plans. Small water tanks, containing 1,000 litres of potable water, were stationed at slums which had a community centre. For instance, Leprosy Colony slum near Old Station Square area, which has Utkalmani Gopabandhu Kustha Sebasangha Community Centre, was provided with a water tank since Wednesday evening. Such arrangements were made to provide water to the evacuated people, who were given shelter at the centres. Little was put in place for 40 families, the permanent occupants of the slum.
“Around 60 people were brought to the centre on Wednesday evening. They have left the shelter on Saturday morning. The water in the tank will be exhausted soon. We don’t know what will happen thereafter. We haven’t heard from BMC so far,” said Kuni Behera, a resident. The slum had no tubewell as well.