Hisar manholes spell danger, officials indifferent

Tribune News Service

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, March 21

Residents of Navdeep Colony in Hisar are up in arms against the Public Health Engineering Department over open manholes and blockage of sewerage system at various places.

Residents Sushila Sheoran, Ram Kanwar Sangwan, Mansi, Mandeep and others have written letters to the Chief Minister and other officials of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), demanding immediate intervention into the matter seeking remedial measures.

In the e-mail complaints submitted to the higher authorities, residents said Navdeep Colony, which is part of the Wards 16 and 18, have been facing these issues for many months. “We have submitted many representations to the higher authorities to highlight this problem. But the authorities in Hisar have failed to take cognisance,” the complaint said.

Sheoran said a child had fallen to death in an open manhole in the colony some years ago. Besides, she said, there were many manholes which were not on the level of the road and so had turned into huge pits.

Another complainant Sangwan said the storm water drainage system was also not efficient. “Every time it rains, the streets of the locality get waterlogged. The problem worsens due to the blocked sewerage system,” he said.

The residents said the entire locality, which had hundreds of houses, had been facing the problem for several years. “Unfortunately, the officials also do not seem concerned about the instructions from the higher authorities. We hope that the Chief Minister will take cognisance of the matter and issue instructions to the local authorities as it is a matter that requires urgent measures. The next rainy season could spell trouble for the residents if the measures are not taken before the monsoon season,” said Sangwan.

However, the Executive Engineer of the PHED, Balkar Singh Redhu, said they had taken requisite measures to clean the blocked sewerage. “Earlier, the sewerage overflow was a problem in the locality but we have taken certain measures and there is no problem now,” he said. “We also take immediate note of any open manhole,” added the Executive Engineer.

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