More water, sewerage, electricity connections than building plans approved: RTI reply

Ludhiana: Already the building branch officials are under scanner due to difference between new electricity connections and building plans approval every year. Now, an information obtained under RTI has revealed that civic officials issued almost 5,000 new water supply and sewerage connections in almost a year. The officials, however, blamed the residents who do not take connections legally which not only leads to financial loss to civic body, but is also harmful for existing structure .
According to the information obtained under the Right to Information Act from the municipal corporation (MC) Ludhiana, by the RTI activist Rohit Sabbarwal, it has been revealed that between April 1, 2019 and May 31, the MC had issued as many as 5,842 water supply and sewerage connections. Maximum connections were issued by the MC Zone D (1,750) , followed by Zone C (1556), Zone A (1287) and Zone B (1249).
Recently, the civic officials have started a survey in quarters to check whether there is legal connections or not. According to a rough estimate by the civic officials, almost 80% of these quarters have illegal water supply and sewerage connections.
The officials had also taken data from Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and it was found that in three years, they have 95,000 to 1 lakh new consumers while the MC gave nod to over 5,000 building plans. The same is the case with water supply and sewerage connections.
BJP councillor from ward number 31, Sonia Sharma complained to mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu recently that most of the water supply connections in her ward are only 1.5 feet deep whereas ideally these should be at least 4 to 4.5 feet deep so that when road is constructed water supply or sewerage lines will not be damaged.
Meanwhile, Congress councillor Rakesh Prashar claimed that people do not take legal connections instead get connections in illegal manner, which results in other problems like water contamination.