Supplying drinking water in Gurgaon is now MCG's responsibility

17 January, 2013

After four years of dispute between Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) and water supply department, the issue of distribution of drinking water has finally been resolved. In a meeting, which lasted for three hours in Chandigarh between Principal Secretary of Public Health Department and the Urban Local Body, it was decided that from April 1st this year MCG would be responsible for distribution of drinking water in Gurgaon.

PEOPLE IN the city, especially those residing in old Gurgaon will soon get rid of water shortage as from 1st April 2013 MCG will take over the command of water supply. Till now the water supply distribution was in the hands of Public Health Department, which was unable to provide sufficient amount of drinking water to the people of old Gurgaon.

The decision was taken in a meeting on Monday in Chandigarh, between Principal Secretary of Public Health department and the Urban Local Body in which MCG commissioner Vijay Dhaiya and chief engineer BS Singroha were also present.

In the meeting, both parties shared their problems and tried to resolve the issue, which was going on form last four years. Public Health Department said that it is facing a paucity of funds to manage the system of water supply and thus MCG should take the charge.

On the other hand, the corporation said that it is having insufficient amount of mechanical staff.?On hearing these issues, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary of water supply department Sarban Singh, who was heading the meting, decided that from now on “MCG will take control of water supply in old Gurgaon and public health department will send its mechanical staff to MCG”.

Confirming this, an MCG spokesperson told this citizen journalist that they are making plans now to take this responsibility. "Yes, this is true and from 1st April this year we are taking control of water supply in old Gurgaon. And for this we have to prepare well before.”

As per chief engineer BS Singroha, Public Health department has failed to erect the kind of infrastructure, which is efficient for supplying water. "In these years Public Health department was not able to create a proper infrastructure which is needed to promise a proper water supply," Singroha maintained.

MCG said that water pipeline in old Gurgaon is 15-years-old and is now almost broken and has developed leakages due to which people are complaining of dirty and undrinkable water coming to their places. It has also promised that after taking authority, the corporation will renovate these pipelines as well and will spend almost 1 crore rupees every year in planning, operation and maintenance of the water supply system in old Gurgaon.