Chief minister Naveen Patnaik lays the foundation stone for the renovated pipeline work at Badagada Brit Colony in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 14: After chief minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for the renovation of a pipeline in Badagada Brit Colony yesterday, housing and urban development minister Sarada Prasad Nayak faced the wrath of local residents who demanded quality drinking water and regular supply from the main reservoir.

Some mid-level officials of the Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO) could not answer their queries regarding the supply time, duration and the number of houses covered by the reservoir.

“First get your facts straight and know your customers. Are you organising regular customers’ meetings or not? When is water supplied to the reservoirs? Why are the problems of the customers not yet addressed?” asked the minister of the officials concerned.

During their conversation with Nayak, members of the Brit Colony Development Association (BCDA) alleged that the supply of water was not adequate because of lack of water pressure, and the authorities concerned were not taking steps to reach them enough water from the Capital Water Works at Palasuni, or from additional sources by setting up another pumping facility to tap groundwater.

The association’s secretary Ashwini Kumar Rout said: “Though Brit colony is the only colony which constitutes a single ward of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, the area is neglected by the authorities concerned. We have insufficient water supply, bad drainage and lighting, no community centre, encroachment at public utility places and playgrounds, but no one is taking any steps to address these problems.”

Nayak assured the colony residents that once the pipeline is renovated, water supply would improve. He also asked the engineers about the demand-supply ratio.

When the engineers said that the 3 lakh gallon capacity of the two reservoirs was enough for the needs of the official number of consumers in the area — 1,200 — Nayak asked them to find out why the supply was not meeting the requirements of the local people.

Nayak also hinted at a plan to ensure 24X7 water supply to the entire city. “We have already asked a consultant to prepare a detailed project report so that the demand-supply ratio, planning for the uncovered areas and details for future plans can be outlined. It will take six months for the detailed project report to reach us. Once it is prepared, we can arrange for funds,” he said.