Bhubaneswar: The Public Health Engineering (PHE) workers’ association, Friday, strongly opposed the decision of Water Corporation of Odisha’s (WATCO) plans to expand its territories beyond Bhubaneswar amidst the novel coronavirus outbreak.
WATCO, which is responsible for the drinking water supply and sewerage management in Bhubaneswar, Khurda and Jatni, had planned to expand its jurisdiction to the towns of Cuttack and Puri. The decision was made when the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department gave its nod observing the success of WATCO in the Capital city.
However, state PH Engineering workers’ association expressed its resentment over the decision during lockdown due to Covid-19 terming it ‘unwanted and untimely.’
Association president Prasant Mohanty said, “This is not the right time to take over water supply access. Firstly, the government must think about employees who work under PHEO and provide them with insurance facilities.”
The corporation not only looks after development of infrastructure for water storage and its smooth supply but also takes care of the quality control of the drinking water. A WATCO official said, “The proposal to expand the jurisdiction of WATCO was under consideration. While the inconvenience is understandable, water accessibility in certain areas of Puri and Cuttack is critical. Hence, we are speeding up the process. Talks with the outfit will be held soon for an amicable solution.”