In Delhi’s Bijwasan, residents face water and power woes daily

New Delhi, Dec 22 As the Assembly elections in Delhi are nearing, residents from the Bijwasan Assembly constituency in the national capital spoke to IANS and raised the issues they are facing.

Speaking to IANS, Balram Prasad, a local, said, “This is Singhi Basti and Brijwasan Assembly. There is a lot of problem here, first of all there is no public toilet here… water comes in a tanker once a week and people fight to get the water.”

Pointing towards plastic water canes, he said that he has to store the water in those jars and the entire family has to depend on that water for the whole week.

On AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s claims on free water and electricity, Prasad said, “The leaders say anything but actually they do nothing. They all enjoy… they keep blaming each other. They (AAP govt) are giving free water only once a week, which is inadequate.”

On the supply of electricity, he said, “In the morning, power is cut for two hours and in the night the electricity is cut for four hours. We have to face a lot of problems because of the power cut here.”

He further said that he does not have an electricity meter and has been visiting the electricity office for the last three months but still, the meter has not been installed in his house.

“The officials from the electricity department ask us to get the NOC from DDA for getting the meter installed…they say ours is a jhuggi jhopri (slum) area while it is a private land,” Prasad added.

“Earlier this road was not even here. This road was built four months ago in view of the elections. But now, the biggest problem here is the drinking water,” he told IANS.

A woman named Kela Devi from the area said, “Water tanker comes here once a week. There is so much problem of water here that people resort to fighting and stone pelting. We have no ration card as well which is also a big problem for us.”

She also claimed that recently she paid an electricity bill of Rs 5500, and claimed that how come the electricity is then free.

One Rohit from the area said that there is no problem of water and electricity. He added, “During the election, the leaders come here asking for votes and once it is over they disappear.”