Onset of Monsoon – Tax payer’s money washed out in Patiala due to ill planning
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in
Municipal Corporation Patiala has made tall claims before the onset of monsoon. The authorities were confident that no water will be logged in the city and will drain out in few minutes. But tall claims made by the Municipal Corporation authorities fallen flat, today, when rain lashes the royal city. Besides the interior parts, outer colonies face the same old situation-water logging.
In September 2020, the Mayor Sanjeev Bittu and Commissioner Municipal Corporation Poonamdeep Kaur, IAS had inaugurated the Rs 80 lacs project of laying of sewerage pipes, re carpeting of road of around 1 KM stretch, starting from 21 No. Phatak to 22 No.Phatak , where water got accumulated, after the rain. The pipe laying project started in October, 2021.
The said one km road becomes a lake, in the rainy season, even after a small spell of rain. Water gets accumulated on the said road and it becomes difficult to move on this road.
When contacted the Commissioner Municipal Corporation Poonamdeep Kaur, she said “the water will recede, as the whole area water accumulated on this road. I had personally visited the area, when the last rain lashes the city and the water receded in few hours.”
When raised a question over the removal of 10” pipes and laying 6″-8” pipe by the corporation, when the municipal authorities knew that the area water accumulated on this road, she said, I had talked to my engineers and said that 8” pipe is rightly laid by my engineers. She informed that earlier a ground water recharge was there and now we laid the pipes and attached them in the main sewerage. It might be taking some time, but the water will be recede in few hours.”
When countered on this issue, that if a ground water discharge was there, then from where these 10” cemented pipes came? For what purpose these pipes were laid, earlier? Why the concrete pipe of larger size (10”) is removed and smaller size pipe is laid? Why not a larger size pipe is laid, keeping in mind the future problems, when the area water is accumulated in this stretch? She said “I’m not an engineer, you are not an engineer. But I have my engineer’s and who told me that the work is done in right way. If you have any issues, please come to my office.”
Earlier, when the work of laying of pipe was going on, the matter was highlighted by royalpatiala.in, in these columns, Er. Suresh Kumar executive engineer, had said at that time that” we had removed the defunct system of rain water disposal system, laid earlier, with 10” cement pipe, which were laid parallel with the main sewer line. That system is not working. Now, we have replaced the old system, removed the 10” pipe, as it was not working. Now, we are making around 10-12 pits and connected the same with each other and the water will go to the main sewer line of 36” diameter, passing through the centre of the road. Means, the water will go to the pits and from pits it will go to the main sewer line. We had connected almost all the gallies on this one km stretch with the lines”
This statement of an engineer of the MC, under whose the project was executed, is contradictory to the statement given by the MC Commissioner.
“The situation remained same, even after spending Rs 80 lacs on this road. Water logged on this road and remained for even after 3 hours after the rain stopped. It might be the costliest normal road in the royal city in which Rs 80 lacs were spent on 1 km stretch for laying 6″-8″ plastic pipe for rain water harvesting, re-carpeting of around 1 KM stretch, making 10-12 pits, concrete plant protection stands, tiles on roadside.”
On Onset of Monsoon – Tax payer’s money washed out in Patiala due to ill planning a resident of the area said,” earlier the main road from 21 No.Phatak to 22 No.Phatak was water logged, even with few minutes of rain. The problem remains the same, even today.When the govt has granted so much money to solve this problem, permanently, why the MC officials didn’t do this, keeping in mind the future problems. Last time the rain water discharge pipes were laid around 16-17 years back, parallel with the main sewer lines, when an over bridge over 21 Number phatak was built. ”
Similarly,today areas in the interior parts of the city ,outer colonies were submerged with even with a small rain.
NOTE– TODAY’S PICTURE WERE TAKEN AT AROUND 12:30 PM.
July 19,2021