CHANDIGARH: Almost two years after the first complaint, the municipal corporation’s engineering wing has come to know that the two-decade-old water pipelines of Manimajra’s Modern Housing Complex cannot be replaced because of technical reasons. Local MP Kirron Kher had agreed to release money to the resident welfare association (RWA) for the project.Modern Housing Complex RWA president Colonel Gursewak Singh said: “The MP had assured us that the MC was coming up with a new policy to charge us Rs 6,000 each for the replacement of the pipeline, and that planning was in progress. After the policy was to be finalised, the work was be started in the area.”The affected Modern Housing Complex. (File photo)Recently, the MC chief engineer had surveyed the area with his team and assured the residents that the pipeline will be replaced soon, since they were going to allot the work. For the past two years, thousands of residents of Manimajra have been complaining about rusty and ruptured underground water pipes and demanding replacement for safe drinking water.People are getting muddy water in their taps, which is causing them health problems. During a visit to the area, the residents told the TOI team that the municipal corporation records suggested these water pipes laid in the residential area to be almost 25 years old.Residents complained that the rusted pipes had developed serious leakages and flooding fo the neighbourhood parks had become a routine because of it. There’s a slush where the underground pipe have burst and all the complaining has failed to bring the repair teams over. Adding to the woes of the residents, the occasional MC repair squad has done only temporary repair, which has not held, and the parks had to be dug up and levelled all over again.In a written representation to Kirron Kher and the municipal corporation, the Modern Housing Complex RWA has stated that the water-supply pipes needs to be replaced at the earliest, as these were not only damaging the neighbourhood parks but also carrying contaminated water to the homes. The representation says that these iron pipes have completed their normal span of life and replacement was now the only viable solution for safe water.The RWA raised this matter with the MP during her visit to the area in the November 2017, when she promised to release money for the replacement of pipelines. Four categories of houses in MHC have been affected. Each block has a cluster of 96 houses. The neighbourhood parks, 20 in category I, 16 in category II, 19 in category III, and 40 in category IV are in damaged condition.

Stay updated with all the Chandigarh Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.