Craving for water, Shimla residents pour out anger on social media
Shimla, May 28: People in Shimla, once a village that served as the summer capital of British India between 1864 and 1939, are craving for a glass of water, while their woes and anger are pouring on micro-blogging platforms, literally!
A majority of localities are facing a severe water supply crisis, getting potable water only once a week.
The reason: All water channels in Shimla and its suburbs, which are normally quenching the thirst of the people, have dried up this summer owing to less snowfall in the past winter and less rains thereafter.
City residents say the problem has aggravated ever since the mercury shot up and the sweeping heat wave across north India led to an influx of tourists to this popular destination to seek refuge in its cooler climes and they drained out the water.
"Today every Shimlitie is crying for a glass of water," B.D. Sharma, a former Press Secretary to the Chief Minister, said.
"People from various walks of life are making protest in one way or the other and bigwigs holding meetings to provide water to the people. But from where? Not only in Shimla but in its suburbs all water sources have dried up," he wrote on his Facebook page.
He said he remembered that there were a number of natural water resources in Shimla about four decades ago but they dried up due to unplanned development and haphazard construction.
Echoing Sharma's assertions, veteran journalist Rakesh Lohumi said "all those who raised illegal buildings, politicians have been repeatedly bringing policies to regularise them, burdening the hills way beyond the carrying capacity, are responsible for the water crisis."
He said the British ensured full protection of water sources by severely restricting human activity in the catchment areas and maintaining a healthy forest cover.
They preserved the green cover over the Shimla ranges so well that perennial springs spouted from the foot of almost every hill. Most of them have been buried under multi-storied structures or dried up over the past three decades, Lohumi added.
Even tourists are feeling the pinch of water shortage.
"There is no water in the taps. I am charged Rs 200 for a bucket of water by my hotel," Ranjan Chatterji, a tourist from Kolkata, told IANS.
He said this was the first tourist place where a visitor is charged money for water.
Shimla-based historian Raaja Bhasin said in the 1940s there was a proposal to create an artificial lake in Shimla.
"Not only (lake) for beauty, but also to handle situations like this," he added.
The crisis of drinking water in the state capital is becoming more serious and chaotic with each passing day, remarked former state Director General of Police I.D. Bhandari.
"The fighting is going on in the absence of chief (the Mayor) responsible for the same, as...has to see how things are working so well in another ancient country China," he wrote in a post.
While Shimla residents are grappling with water woes -- not exactly for the first time -- civic body Mayor Kusum Sadret of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is helming the Municipal Corporation for the first time in three decades since June 2017, is away in China on an official tour.
Resident Jyoti Sharma said it is well known that the depleted water table at a source can be recharged by allowing water to seep in using rainwater harvesting infrastructure.
"Yes, a collective multi-pronged approach towards a sustainable solution is the need of the hour. Else, 'Shimla left high and dry' will stop making news," she added.
Retired bureaucrat K.R. Bharti, who is also settled here, said the previous municipal body was shown the door on the issue of water and the present body might meet the same fate for the same reason.
Civic authorities say water shortage has become more acute after supply from the Ashwani Khad was stopped in 2015 following an outbreak of jaundice, which claimed over 20 lives, due to mixing of sewage from a nearby treatment plant with the natural water supply scheme that catered to Shimla residents.
Shimla's normal demand of water is 42 to 45 million litres per day (MLD) but the availability ranged from 23 to 25 MLD, says the civic body.
It blames leaks in the distribution network, a significant portion of which came up in the British days, and diminishing water resources due to over-exploitation.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
