Date:31/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/31/stories/2005053115480300.htm

New Delhi

Water-starved people out on the streets

Staff Reporter

Traffic blocked at Vikas Marg, officer roughed up

NEW DELHI: After Sunday's four-hour-long traffic blockade by angry Sadiq Nagar residents over acute shortage of water in their area, Monday saw water-starved people coming out on the streets in at least two places in the Capital to highlight their woes. And in one incident, a Delhi Jal Board officer was roughed up.

While residents of Jagatpuri in East Delhi blocked traffic on the busy Vikas Marg and Jagatpuri road, residents of Trinagar and adjoining areas in North-West Delhi accompanied by their area councillor first gheraoed the DJB office at Keshavpuram and then roughed up an officer posted there.

According to reports, angry over inadequate supply of water since the beginning of this summer, a large number of Trinagar residents along with their Congress councillor, Amrit Lal, marched to the DJB office at Keshavpuram and staged a dharna.

However, matters took an ugly turn when the protesters barged into the office and roughed up a senior officer posted there. Later the police reached the scene and dispersed the crowd. An FIR was registered against the Congress councillor and he was arrested. The crowd then marched to the local police station and gheraoed it demanding immediate release of the councillor and also solution to their water woes.

Residents alleged that despite repeated reminders and complaints to the DJB, the water crisis had only worsened in their area. Describing the emergency services being provided by the water utility as a farce, they said they had no option but to take to streets to highlight their problems.

Similarly, the residents of Jagatpuri and its adjoining areas in East Delhi also came out on the streets this morning and protested against the poor water supply in their area. Shouting slogans against the water utility and the Delhi Government, they even blocked the busy Vikas Marg and Jagatpuri road for some time. Alleging that "DJB-private water supplier nexus" was responsible for creating "artificial scarcity" in their locality, residents said the water supply situation had only worsened over the years.