Triveni workers seek money from residents for opening manholes

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 18

A serious issue has come to light in the Paras Ram Nagar area today where a Triveni company worker demanded money from residents in a street for opening a manhole and cleaning the same.

SAD councillor from Ward No. 43 Gursewak Singh Mann today raised the issue with Mayor Balwant Rai Nath at his office.

He said the Municipal Corporation was paying a hefty amount of Rs 288 crore to the Noida-based Triveni company for the operation and maintenance of the project covering 100 per cent water supply and sewerage works in the city. Despite this, why workers of the company are demanding money from residents.

A few complaints about company workers demanding money have been received in the recent past.

Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said he assured councillor Gursewak Mann that strict action would be initiated against those workers who demanded money from the residents for cleaning manhole.

He said: “I have also told him to tell people not to give money to the workers for the same.”

He said he called Sewerage Board XEN Ashwani Kumar and had told him to enquire about the matter.

The reports of the Triveni company workers demanding money from residents has further dented the image of the company, which is already facing the public ire over the slow pace of work in the Rs 288-crore sewerage project in the city.

The Sewerage Board has imposed a penalty of Rs 7 crore on the company for working at a slow pace.

The company has been allotted the Rs 288-crore project for 100 per cent sewerage maintenance and providing water supply in the city.

The civic body has hired the Noida-based company to provide basic civic amenities to the residents. The company has a responsibility to improve the water supply and sewerage system in the city. The company has reportedly done only 25 per cent of its work in 24 months.

In an agreement made with the company, it was stated that despite imposing five per cent penalty, the Sewerage Board can impose 2.5 per cent fine of Rs 288 crore on the company if it fails to finish the work on time.