Rabindranath Biswas
Jirkatang, Oct 15: The Water ATM installed at Jirkatang Check-post under Gram Panchayat Ferrargunj under Shyama Prasad Mukherjee RURBAN Mission is reportedly lying dysfunctional.
As per report, the Water ATM installed at Jirkatang Check-post under Gram Panchayat Ferrargunj under Shyama Prasad Mukherjee RURBAN Mission inaugurated on 03/12/2020. This innovative public utility project was begun during the COVID-19 pandemic period by the Administration with much fanfare with officials asserting that passengers, tourists and motorists would then have access to pure, RO water at public places. Four years are going to elapse and the Water ATM is defunct. Commuters and tourists who pass by this water ATM say this kiosk is useless and simply occupies road space. Another person was heard saying, “If you are thirsty, don’t stop near the water ATM because it’s not going to dispense water,”. Passengers travelling on the South Andaman and N & M Andaman route, tourists and motorists are meant to have access to a glass of clean water from the Water ATM installed at Jirkatang Check Post but unfortunately it is lying defunct; and the concerned agency ought to be maintaining the public utility, said a group of passengers. “It has become a grey area since no one is taking care of maintenance” opined others.
Locals casually said the water ATM has fallen into disrepair, has damaged parts or developed other glitches, but they couldn’t say since when the Water ATM is exactly not functioning. Similar situations can be witnessed in various other villages and in Sri Vijaya Puram city area where dozens and dozens of such water ATMs were installed in the past, but hardly a few are functional.
The Andaman Sheekha Daily when posed questions to the Pradhan, Gram Panchayat Ferrargunj and wanted to know more on the defunct water ATM, the Pradhan said that the issue of water ATMs came up in a recent meeting in which the Director, RD, PRIs & ULBs gave instructions to the concerned Executive Engineer, PRI to get the water ATMs repaired and made functional. He further said that the water ATM was installed during the COVID-19 pandemic period by an agency from Haryana and when the Panchayat was functional under the Special Officer and the Panchayat is now facing severe problems owing to paucity of funds. However, other sources said that the necessary estimate for the repair of the water ATM has been sent for approval.
Meanwhile, the Andaman Sheekha Daily made several attempts to establish contact with concerned officials and the higher authority in order to get further information/status of the defunct water ATM, but no official was available to make a comment on the matter.
In past various prominent citizens had demanded for CBI inquiry in this entire purchase process of water ATMs for Sri Vijaya Puram city and other villages but till now not even a departmental inquiry has been ordered by Administration.
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