Water and air are said to be free from nature but in today’s world everything has a cost and selling water is one of the biggest business in the present scenario. The capital city is longing for every drop of the water since last 6 days there is no water supply due to pipeline burst at Ponda. The government has made the provision of tankers for the people of Panaji but the water does not reach to the common man and in this also the VIP Culture comes out as the winner.
According to the reports, tow major Talukas in Goa, Tiswadi, and Ponda continue to reel under water shortage and as the water crisis continues for the sixth day, water tankers have been unable to reach many places. But the VIPs living in the Altinho heights are not the victim of water shortage.
The ‘VIP’ first criteria of the government continue for the PWD water supply, PWD has notched up a bill of Rs 11 lakh in the last five days for the supply of water by tankers.
Sources in the Goa Fire Brigade said that the IAS officers and other top bureaucrats continued to demand water pumps and personnel despite the media report “IAS official’s empty entire tankers in their homes as Panjimites struggle for water”.
Instead of taking action against the IAS officers or bureaucrats, some Fire officials were rounded up and questioned on Tuesday for speaking to the media, sources said.
As per information received from PWD Assistant Engineer, there are 28 tankers in service, out of which only six are of the PWD and rest all belong to private operators. Each operator is paid Rs 2,400 per 12 cubic meter tanker, he said.
As per statistics available the tankers have made 440 trips altogether till 6 pm on August 20. If one were to calculate with the data available to them, 440 trips at the rate of 2,400 the total come to Rs 10,50,000 approx.
PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar said that the water supply would be resumed by 12 pm on August 21.
While PWD claimed they have made 440 trips residents deny the claim as a society member of Emma Apartments Caranzalem said he has token no of 341 and is yet to get water.
Residents complain that the water was going mainly to VIP areas in Altinho and the citizens are hardly taken care of. A resident of Bhatlem, Sandeep Naik said that tankers coming to the area are mostly climbing to Altinho and hardly any tanker is coming to the locality.
Several thousand families were affected as the pipeline that brings water to the two talukas from Opa Water Works burst on August 15. The bottled drinking water of up to 20 liters has also been running short across all stores.
Source: Heraldo
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