Contaminated Supply Also Flagged
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Nagpur: The functioning of Orange City Water (OCW) once again came under sharp attack at the Nagpur Municipal Corporation general body meeting on Thursday, with corporators raising concerns over inflated water bills, contaminated supply and irregular water distribution.Mayor Neeta Thakre directed the civic administration to immediately address the complaints and prepare a concrete action plan to provide relief to citizens.Muslim League group leader Aslam Khan questioned the basis on which OCW, responsible for the city’s water supply, was issuing bills to consumers. He pointed out that although OCW was expected to provide round-the-clock water supply, several areas were receiving water for only two to three hours a day, while some localities were getting supply once every one or two days.Khan questioned how consumers could be charged hefty bills despite receiving such limited supply. Other corporators also alleged that residents of slum areas in their wards had received water bills running into lakhs of rupees.NCP corporator Abha Pandey alleged that water meters at several locations were continuing to run because of air in the pipelines. Despite complaints, neither NMC water supply department nor OCW had taken corrective action, she claimed.Contaminated water supply also triggered an angry response from corporators. Several members said even their own homes were receiving contaminated water through taps. They questioned how ordinary citizens could expect relief when elected representatives themselves were facing the problem.Corporators also criticised OCW for leaving roads and other areas dug up for laying water pipelines without properly restoring them. They demanded accountability for repeated disruption and poor restoration work.Taking note of the issues raised by the corporators over OCW’s functioning, Thakre directed the administration to explain what immediate measures were being taken to resolve the complaints. She also asked officials to prepare a clear roadmap for providing relief to consumers facing irregular supply, contaminated water and billing-related problems.
