A view of Vatika Green City. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, July 4: Tired of the acute water crisis they have been facing for the past one week, residents of Vatika Green City in Mango came out on the streets in protest today.

A frenzied mob, including elderly women, blocked the entrance of the posh residential complex for half-an-hour this morning and demanded immediate restoration of water supply to their respective apartments.

The protesters also locked the maintenance office, forcing the staff members to wander outside. Only after two hours of protest was the water supply restored, leading the women to open the gate.

But trouble erupted in the evening again, when agitated residents allegedly beat up a few maintenance staff for failing to keep up the supply.

According to sources, the posh residential complex has 400 flats in addition to duplexes. The management of the Vatika Green City was supposed to provide 24-hour water supply according to an agreement with the flat owners.

For this, the residents have to pay maintenance charge at 35 paise per square feet.

“The problem of drinking water has continued from the past six months, but since the past one week it has aggravated. Despite repeated intimations to the maintenance department, we did not get water. We had to resort to agitation for restoration of the supply,” said Nisha Singh, a resident.

The protesters threatened to intensify their agitation if the water supply is not regularised shortly.

S.N. Singh, the secretary of the Vatika Green City, said three out of seven pumps engaged for water supply are not functioning. As a result, a section of residents are not getting drinking water. “But I am trying to get the problem sorted out,” said Singh.

He said although the agreement was for 24-hour water supply, unless the pumps were mended, the residents should be economical in consumption. “Let the residents use every drop of water economically so that every flat owner may get the water,” he pleaded.

Jitendra Nath Debuka, one of the builders of Vatika Green City, said he was aware of the problem and was trying to find a solution.