MC fails to chlorinate tubewell water
MC HAD PURCHASED 200 NEW DOZERS FOR CHLORINATION, BUT THEY WERE YET TO BE INSTALLED ON THE TUBE WELLS

As reported in Hindustan Times on dated 07 August 2012
Source : Hindustan Times e-Paper

LUDHIANA: A large number of tubewells installed within the limits of the municipal corporation don't have dozers (equipment used for chlorination) that can put the lives of scores of people to risk. Official data reveals that of the 268 tube wells in two zones of the MC, 125 do not have dozers.

Consuming non-chlorinated water during the rainy season can pose serious health problems to the residents who are consuming water from these tubewells.

In a reply to an RTI plea, the MC stated that out of the total 135 tubewells in zone-A, three were not functioning. Interestingly, only three generators were installed on these 132 working tubewells. The RTI plea was filed by Rohit Sabharwal, who is the president of council of RTI activists, seeking information about the total number of tube wells within MCl imits and how many of them had dozers.

The MC authorities provided the information of Zones A and C only. The operation and management cell of the MC stated that no dozers could be installed on the tubewells in open areas. However, in contradiction, a new dozer has been installed on the tubewell at Baba Than Singh Chowk that is in the open area.

The three generators that are operational in Zone-A are at Keshar Ganj Mandir, Ved Mandir and Division 4. On the other hand, there are 10 overhead tanks in Zone A, of which eight are functional. According to the RTI reply, water is filled in these eight overhead tanks as per necessity.

In Zone-C, there are nine overhead tanks and none is filled by the MC. It is learnt that the MC had purchased 200 new dozers for chlorination, but they were yet to be installed on the tubewells.

Municipal commissioner Rakesh Kumar Vermais learnt to have asked the officials to take a note of chlorination of all tubewells in Ludhiana.