RAWALPINDI: Eighty-eight residents of the Cantonment area have submitted applications to the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, to have water supply to their houses disconnected.

A resident of Naseerabad, Muhammad Saeed, who submitted an application to the RCB to have his water supply disconnected, said water is supplied twice a week and in the summer people are forced to buy water from private tankers.

“Why should I pay utility charges for water, when it is never supplied. I am better off paying private tankers for water,” he said.

Another resident, Muhammad Shafique, said water is a basic need. “The situation is so bad, it is better to disconnect the Cantonment Board’s water supply,” he said.

He said it is a civic body’s responsibility to provide water but the Cantonment Board only supplies water to the houses of army officers while other residents suffer.

The 88 applications submitted to the RCB came from consumers in various localities including Adamjee Road, Afshan Colony, Gulshan-e-Nayab, Allahabad, Peshawar Road, Misrial Road, Meharabad, Naseerabad, Dhoke Hafiz and adjoining areas.

Residents of Ahmedabad and Quaid-e-Azam colony near Dhamial Camp also submitted applications stating that water is only supplied three times-a-week for only 15 to 20 minutes.

The residents requested the civic body to disconnect their water supply and waive-off outstanding charges.

While the RCB and other cantonment boards were established to provide civic facilities to residents, there are numerous complaints against their functioning. There are no elected members of cantonment boards.

Residents complain against the discriminatory attitude of the RCB, which has imposed taxes are only to be paid by civilian residents while retired army and government officers are exempt from payment.

However, this is the first time that the civic body is faced with a situation where residents have asked to have their water connections disconnected. The matter was discussed in a board meeting chaired by Station Commander Brigadier Zahid Ahmed Rana on February 26.

A final decision was made on March 2. “The board advised the Cantonment Executive Officer to improve water supply in Ahmedabad and Quaid-e-Azam Colony, near Dhamial Camp,” a senior RCB official told Dawn.

Meanwhile, the RCB water branch informed the board that the 88 consumers who had submitted applications to have their water supply disconnected, have an outstanding payable bills of Rs593, 202. The water branch said it is not possible to wave off this outstanding bill.

“The board allowed the RCB water branch to disconnect supply for these 88 consumers, if they fail to pay their outstanding bills,” the official said.

When contacted, RCB Cantonment Executive Officer Fahim Zafar Khan said that the RCB received these applications to disconnect water supply due to multiple reasons.

“The shortage of water is the main reason. In many areas, there is not enough water and the RCB is planning to get water from Khanpur Dam which would improve water supply,” he said.

He said some people had also dug bore-wells on their properties and do not need water supply from the cantonment board. “The board has decided that outstanding dues for all those who want to have their water supply disconnected would not be waived-off,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play