Around 350 water coolers ‘out of order’ in Jammu City
Nearly 350 water coolers installed at the cost of worth crores in the limits of Jammu Municipal Corporation are running out of order and have failed to quench the thirst of passersby in the scorching heat.
Though, new water coolers were also installed at several locations but the previously installed are either in shambles or running out of order or defunct.
“Since 2018, the Jammu Municipal Corporation installed about 150 water coolers through corporators and at the same time, around 350 gadgets were already installed out of which over 200 are lying defective and neither repaired nor paid any attention,” sources in the JMC said.
“As some of them are being repaired by the mechanical wing of the JMC but mostly are lying defunct,” they said and added that about 150 water coolers are not fit for repair.
Astonishingly, the lone Assistant Engineer in the HMC is handling the repair operations of these water coolers after the retirement of the Executive Engineer in the Electrical section, sources added.
They further said that the machines installed at much jammed places like Bus Stand, Purani Mandi, Dogra Chowk, Parade, Jewel Chowk are waiting for repairs, adding, “the water cooler installed in Gole Market is lying defunct from years whereas one near Gurudwara Sunder Singh Road, Residency Road, Christian Colony, are also facing maintenance issue.”
Sources further said that immediate replacement of water cooler tanks is needed near Prem Nagar while demand was also raised for installation of new water coolers in Raghunath Bazar and surrounding areas and the water coolers installed in Digiana, Preet Nagar are also defunct.
“The decision to install water coolers in main squares, busy areas was taken in the year 2006 in the General House meeting following which the corporators started installing water coolers in every ward from their own funds and with the end of the tenure of the corporators in 2010, the process came to a standstill,” official sources said.
They admitted that less attention was paid to the repair of these water coolers and this is the reason that at present, around 350 water coolers are lying defective.
“Instructions have been issued to the concerned officers to get the water coolers repaired. They have also been fixed at various places. New water coolers have also been installed so that the residents do not face any difficulty of quenching thirst in public places, markets during summers,” said an official.
