Kolkata, Sept. 27 -- A drinking water crisis affecting nearly 5,000 residents of Jyotinagar Colony in Cossipore has reached the Calcutta High Court, with Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam filing a PIL seeking restoration of the municipal supply.
The petition was filed on Friday, with Islam taking up the issue after the colony's five public taps reportedly remained dry since July 29. Residents have consequently been forced to fetch water from sources farther away, while tankers have also been supplying water intermittently, according to reports.
Jyotinagar Colony falls within Kolkata Municipal Corporation's Ward 6 and is also facing uncertainty over its occupation of land claimed by the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata. The water shortage has added to concerns among residents already facing the prospect of eviction.
According to reports, the disruption followed pipeline-related work carried out by the KMC between July 26 and 28. Residents have alleged that supply was cut along a roughly 150-metre stretch of the colony, while taps in neighbouring areas continued functioning. The CPIM workers have been arranging for water at the colony to meet the crisis.
Islam has alleged that the stoppage was discriminatory and linked it to the religious identity of the affected residents. That allegation is his claim and has not been established by the court.
The MP said the PIL was intended to address access to safe drinking water for the colony's residents and expressed confidence in judicial intervention.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.