The Hindu 29.09.2010
Why pay tax when no amenities are provided, ask residents
Staff Reporter
| Civic officials and elected representatives blamed for gross failure |
Protest:Residents staging a dharna in front of Periyasemur Municipality on Tuesday demanding adequate basic amenities.
ERODE: With acute water shortage, poor sanitary conditions, stinking public toilets, the residents of Periyasemur, it seems, have had enough. Over 300 residents of various colonies gathered in front of the Periyasemur Municipality and staged a dharna here on Tuesday to protest against lack of basic amenities in their colonies, blaming the civic officials and elected representatives for their gross failure in creating adequate amenities, residents appealed to the district administration to intervene in the issue and take concrete efforts to enhance the living conditions in municipality.
“Complaints on lack of amenities were pouring in to all the offices of the civic body. But none of the officials and elected representatives care about these complaints. We continue to live under miserable conditions,” residents charged.
A majority of the residential colonies in Periyasemur municipality get water supply twice in a month. “The water supply lasts only for two hours. Many of us are forced to purchase water from private firms,” agitators pointed out.
The municipality has not made any concrete efforts to sort out the problems in water supply. “But the civic body is proper in collecting taxes from us. Strict actions are being taken up against the defaulters. Why should we pay tax to a civic body, which does not provide adequate amenities to us?” residents questioned.
Many parts in the municipality also lack public convenience facilities. “The existing public toilets are in a state of neglect. No maintenance works have been taken up in any of these toilets for the past several months,” residents alleged.
People appealed to the district administration to instruct the municipal officials to create necessary amenities in all the residential colonies in Periyasemur. The civic body should ensure uniform supply of water to all the parts. Storm water drains should be constructed in adequate numbers, they demanded.
