At Soudha, not a drop to drink

If you are planning to visit Vidhana Soudha, it is advisable to carry your own drinking water as the water purifiers on the premises do not work. If you forget your bottle, you will have to depend on tap water like the Soudha’s employees to quench your thirst.

About 20 water purifiers were installed on the Vidhana Soudha premises a few years ago. No one is aware when exactly they were installed. All the water purifiers have been lying defunct for a year. The employees working on the premises have to resort to tap water. An employee alleged many of these water purifiers do not even get water to purify as they have not been connected yet.

Another employee said the government had spent lakhs of rupees towards the water purifiers, but had done nothing to maintain them. Subramanya S Kumuta, president, Legislature Employees’ Association, said they need safe drinking water on the Soudha premises. He said tap water is not safe to drink, but the employees and visitors have no other option.

Hanuma Reddy, assistant executive engineer, PWD, responsible for the maintenance of Vidhana Soudha, said he was not aware of the existence of the water purifiers on the Soudha premises as they were installed before he assumed office. He said no one had complained to him about the water purifiers in the past one year, adding that he would look into the issue and do the needful at the earliest.

According to reliable sources, these water purifiers were installed following the instructions from public works department. Sources said the PWD engineer at Vidhana Soudha was merely following the instructions and was not concerned about maintaining these water purifiers.

“The contractor might have claimed the money for the installation of these water purifiers. We can not rule out the involvement of higher officials of PWD. These are means and ways for a few selected officials to make money at the cost of exchequer,’’ said an employee.