The residents of Jyotinagar colony also known as ‘Molla para‘ or Muslim colony, in north Kolkata’s Cossipore have been waiting for water for more than 45 days now. The five public taps acting as a source of the water supply to serve hundreds of families have run dry, forcing residents to fetch water from polluted Gangee or buy from municipal water tankers, disturbing their lives.
The residents of the colony, which constitutes around 95% Muslim, sustain informal jobs, and the crisis has turned their lives into a daily struggle for survival. Residents have allegedly approached the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), police, and other authorities only to find no solution.
“They took my number and assured us that they would look into the matter. But nothing came of it. The following day, we submitted a written complaint at the main corporation office in Hatibagan. They too assured us that they would look into the issue. But nothing has changed so far,” a resident told FoEJ Media.
“We are facing immense hardship. We have to fetch water from nearly a kilometer away. We wash the children’s clothes with water from the river, but it is not suitable for use and is far from clean,” he said.
They said that riverbanks put older people at high risk as muddy steps become slippery, injuring several people while trying to fetch water. Residents have alleged that the shortage has disrupted religious life as well since people are unable to perform wudu. The water supply was cut after KMC workers carried out pipeline repairs between 27 and 29 July. On 29 July, water stopped suddenly at around 11:30 PM.
“Pipeline work was underway, and they had dug two pits, one at the entrance to the slum and another at the other end, effectively marking its boundaries. On July 28, the water supply was cut off around 11 pm. The following morning, we waited for the supply to be restored, but it has not been resumed since,” the resident said
Electricity disruption was also accompanied by the water; however, electricity was reported in 12-15 days.
“The electricity supply was also cut off along with the water, but it was restored within 12 to 15 days,” the resident said.
Residents have further alleged that the water crisis is linked to the remarks of the BJP MLA Ritesh Tiwari, who alleged that he would not work for minorities who did not vote for him. “Today, in front of Baba Bholenath, I swear, I will not do one job for them (Muslims) in the next five years. Will not issue any certificate for them. I am saying this live. I do not care about what anyone else says or thinks,” Tiwari said after following the election results.
However, denying that the crisis is linked to the identity, Tiwari said, “There was maintenance work that was done in the pipeline. That might have caused some problems. We came to know about the incident. We are looking into the matter.”
Meanwhile, State Congress president Suvankar Sarkar said, “There is a Jain college just at the border of this locality, and I think the BJP is trying to drive these people from this area and give the land to them. Or they might also plan to give the area to a big promoter, as the land is very lucrative. We are with the people and will stand by them.”
“When I arrived here today, our District Congress, which is always with these people, was already providing water supply, and starting tomorrow, a 12,000-liter tanker from Congress will arrive here; I have come here purely out of humanity for human beings without looking at Hindu or Muslim, because I see only human beings where on two sides there are Hindu settlements and in the middle a Muslim settlement. This new government’s slogan was “Fear Out, Trust In,” but the current situation shows that Hindus are also living in fear…” he said, talking to IANS
