A CORRESPONDENT
LAKHIMPUR: The North Lakhimpur Divisional Office of the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) has engraved a mark of comprehensive failure with regard to supplying pure drinking water to the common people of the district. At a time when the PHED has invested crores of public funds in the name of supplying pure drinking water across the State, the North Lakhimpur Divisional Office of the department has failed to fulfil the needs of the people by executing its activities for their benefit.
There is a crystal clear evidence of the dereliction of the office concerned, No. 2 Raonapur water supply scheme under the division did not become operational during a period of long twenty years. At present, the scheme has turned to be white elephant with no use. Notably, the infrastructure of the scheme was established on a piece of land donated by the local people twenty years ago. Later, concrete buildings were established at the scheme site in addition to installing costly machineries for hoisting water. Despite such developments, the people of the area were not fortunate enough to get a single drop of pure water as the benefit of the scheme. The matter of concern is that the responsible officer inspected the scheme site some years back. He had promised the local people of supplying them pure drinking water soon making the scheme operational. Years rolled on, but the scheme neither became operational nor did it face further development.
On seeing the white elephant meaninglessly standing on the public donated land, a section of the local people were compelled to declare that they would pull down its infrastructure and use the land for their benefit. In the wake of this public resentment, the office concerned reiterated the same promise but did not pay any heed to inaugurate the scheme thereafter. At present the scheme buildings are being covered by creepers and shrubs and the costly mechineries are on the verge of decaying. As a result of it, almost four hundred families of the area are consuming water mixed with iron. The people of the area have demanded a high-level enquiry on why the scheme was not dedicated to the public throughout a long period of twenty years.