Gokul Nagar residents thirst for adequate water supply

Tarnaka: Though the Gokul Nagar Colony in Tarnaka has gained the tag of a green and clean colony, it still lacks a few civic amenities, including proper underground drinking water pipeline, lack of maintenance of stormwater drain, immediate need of community hall and slow pace of widening of open drain works.

Locals pointed out that the existing drinking water pipelines, which are 4 inches in diameter, were laid 38 years ago that too with the funds collected from the residents of the colony. With many residential colonies sprouting in the last few years, water connections given from the same pipelines have resulted in low pressure and ample amounts of water not reaching the residents. Further, these pipelines have developed leaks with water getting contaminated many a time. "All our pleas over the years have fallen on the deaf ears of Water Board. Though Rs 22 lakh were sanctioned to lay new water pipelines to increase the pressure, no works were initiated," said T Bala Swamy, vice-president of the standing committee of Tarnaka Residents Welfare Association.

"There is an open plot of 1,100 square yards in our colony where we conduct all our colony programmes. At least now, the officials concerned must build the community hall. Apart from this, the works of open drain which were started last year are still going at snail's pace. We request the authorities to finish the works as early as they can," added Syed Khaled Shah Chishti Hussaini, general secretary, Tarnaka Association for Service and Knowledge, Street Number 3. "It has become habitual for the GHMC authorities to throw our pleas into the dustbin. Every time it rains, the nala in the colony overflows due to the bad maintenance of stormwater drain. We have requested the authorities concerned to address the issue, but no response has come from them till date," said a resident of Gokul Nagar.