Water disconnection policy demanded

VADODARA, June 30: Even as former Mayor Dalsukhbhai Prajapati demanded a policy on severing of illegal water connections, the Vadodara Munic...

VADODARA, June 30: Even as former Mayor Dalsukhbhai Prajapati demanded a policy on severing of illegal water connections, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation on Tuesday cut off 64 connections in a Tarsali housing society.

Taking up the issue in the General Board meeting on Tuesday, Prajapati said while he was not against the drive to sever unauthorised connections, it was essential to have a clear policy on the issue. The VMC’s drive was terrorising people, the former Mayor alleged, adding that water supply should not be disconnected if permissions had been withheld only on administrative grounds.

Prajapati added that more revenue could come in if the VMC okayed water connections to some 25,000 houses which did not have permission.Mayor Ratilal Desai, who seemed to be in a hurry to pass the item regarding nominations of standing committee members, responded that a proposal regarding severing of unauthorised connections would be forwarded soon.

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Additional City Engineer B S Trapasia, meanwhile, told Express Newsline that 64 connections of a Tarsali society had been severed.

In another development in the Board meeting, former Deputy Mayor Shailesh Mehta raised the issue of executive engineer I D Patel’s suspension, alleging that though he had been charged for negligence over illegal water connections, the one to Nijanand Ashram had been given on a minister’s instructions.