PANAJI
Residents of Kamla Tollem and Vasvado in Benaulim today gathered in large numbers to protest against the scarcity of water and after signing a memorandum handed over the same to officials of the Public Works Department while Aam Aadmi Party called for a maintenance plan and offered to help the MLA in preparing one.
Capt Venzy Viegas who was called by the residents of these two wards after he helped people from other wards in Benaulim to highlight their water problem said the main problem was that there was diagram of the pipelines in the whole constituency and asserted that this needs to be prepared to understand why there is a water supply problem.
He said the pipeline was laid in the 80s and has not been upgraded or properly maintained since then. “The pipes must have corroded and water must be seeping through these pipes,” he said adding that was the reason why there was low pressure in the water supply.
The people while asserting they do not get proper water supply condemned the local MLA Churchill Alemao for calling people liars because they complained of no water supply. “When we do not get water we shall complain and for doing so the MLA cannot call us liars when in reality he is a liar,” said one villager who complained of having to collect water in a kettle.
The people praised and hailed Zilla Panchayat member Hanzel Fernandes for taking up the issue and helping the people in their woes. “He is just elected and already moving to help people solve their problem,” said one lady.
Venzy admitted that Churchill is furious with AAP for taking up the water issue and said he was the cause of the problem as despite being the MLA for so long he took no initiative to even prepare the pipeline plan in the constituency hence nobody knows the pipeline network.
“Benaulim constituency does not have any maintenance plan and what is executed is merely a breakdown repairing system,” said Venzy while offering his services to help the MLA map the pipeline plan so that in future the actual network is available in black and white with the PWD.
