Cooch Behar: Residents of Dinhata Municipality are grappling with a severe water crisis, reportedly caused by coordination issues between the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department and the Municipality Engineering Directorate department (MED).
In response to growing public distress, Dinhata Municipality Chairperson Aparna De Nandi, vice-chairman Sabir Saha Chaudhary, and several councillors met with officials from the Cooch Behar PHE department on Wednesday to address the situation.
Speaking to reporters, Sabir Saha Chaudhary said: “Under the ‘Jal Swapna’ project, the MED has started laying new pipelines. This has led to frequent damage to the existing PHE pipelines, causing widespread water leakage and disrupting supply to households. Despite repeatedly informing the PHE department, the issue remains unresolved.”
He further stated that the problem has persisted for over six months, with residents caught in the crossfire of departmental mismanagement. “A meeting was held on Wednesday but we are not fully satisfied with the outcome. Unless both departments work in coordination, the situation will not improve,” Chaudhary emphasised.
To find a resolution, a meeting has been scheduled at the municipality next Tuesday. “Why should common people suffer due to internal departmental issues? Our priority is to ensure safe drinking water reaches every household,” he added. The matter has also been brought to the notice of the minister of the North Bengal Development department, who is expected to bring it to the attention of the PHE department minister.