Hallomajra breaks curfew daily to get its fill of drinking water

CHANDIGARH: In Hallomajra, the curfew is being broken daily. People are forced to step out to fetch buckets of drinking water to their homes. The practice has been going on for many years. The outbreak of Covid-19 has changed nothing on the ground.
Residents say they have to walk to a spot near the main road to fill drinking water. Satnam, who resides and owns a shop in Hallomajra, told TOI that they have not been receiving the supply of clean drinking water for the last many years."I have to walk for 10 minutes daily to fill water. It takes me around 30 minutes to complete the chore as others too are there. Officials should do something about the problem so that we don't have to leave our homes at a time when novel coronavirus is spreading."
According to residents, drinking water is available at three spots, one near the traffic lights, another near a post office and near a "tanki", as they call it.
"The problem is going on for 10 or 15 years. Water pressure is good, so not much time is consumed when your turn comes. But sadly, we have to make the trip daily. In the morning, there is a lot of rush, but luckily, nobody fights over their turn," said Anu Mittal, another local resident.
People do stand in queues but fail to maintain proper distance from each other. Chandan, a resident of Hallomajra, said, "Even when a lockdown is imposed nationwide, we have to go out for our daily needs. We try to maintain social distancing for our sake, but everybody is in a hurry. As compared to earlier times, residents are more patient now."
Mayor Raj Bala Malik told TOI, "We will sort out the issue after the Covid-19 crisis ends."