Snakes, monkeys invade Sector 7 government houses

CHANDIGARH: Government employees prepare to leave the leaking, seeping, and crumbling central public works department (CPWD) houses in the elite

Sector 7

of the city.


Rainwater drips from their ceilings, their backyards are thick with wild grass full of snakes, and monkeys have free entry through the exhaust-fan vents, broken beams, and gaps in the wooden doors. The simians have turned the lidless overhead water tanks into their bathtubs. The people living in these near-inhabitable houses bear with flooded streets on rainy days because road gullies are clogged with construction debris. Some of this waste also occupies the neighbourhood parks.

During a visit to these houses, a TOI team found out from the residents that they were living under a constant threat of crumbling walls and roof collapse because constant seepage during monsoon has weakened the understructure. The water accumulated during downpours has corroded the wooden doors. “The doors are so weakened that we don’t feel safe to keep valuables at home,” Sector-7-B resident Rekha said.

The backyards of houses have become jungles of wild grass, a home to mosquitoes, snakes, and rats. The residents dread stepping into their own backyards. Despite many complaints to the officials concerned of the CPWD, no action has been taken. “My child got dengue fever during last monsoon because of the mosquitos breeding in my backyard. We maintain our backyard as best as we can but it becomes a task in monsoon. The gardener deployed for this job hardly turns up,” said Rakesh Dogra of Sector 7-B.

The residents of the sector avoid using water from overhead tank, since most of the tanks do not have cemented lids. The tank water is unfit for drinking. The last storm uprooted a lot of termite-eaten trees on these streets. The fallen logs continue to block the footpaths and roads. Turning a blind eye to the monkey menace, the CPWD has left the exhaust-fan vents empty to give simians an easy access to these homes.

Environment Society of India secretary N K Jhingan said: “The fund allocation is not prioritised properly. They have spent funds unnecessarily on getting the most expensive grass for the parks, which is not even maintained properly, and on getting the doors on storerooms, where they were not needed.”

Income tax department employee Jai Prakash said: “We have submitted multiple complaints to authorities concerned but all in vain. We also pleaded with them to take money from residents to maintain houses. We will be left with no option but to take a rented accommodation elsewhere.

Mohan Kumar Gautam of the labour bureau said: “The exhaust fan has not been installed and the vent is left empty. Monkeys enter through these gaps and cause a lot of damage in the house.” Geeta Yadav of Sector 7 said: “It is difficult to even enter the house because of wild growth. My front and back yards have become breeding grounds of insects.” M B Joshi, also of Sector 7, said: “We have to keep a stick handy to save self from these monkeys. The children on our street cannot even come out to play.”

Box:

In the dock

I am unaware of any such problem in Sector 7, as residents have lodged no complaint with my office. I will hold a meeting with junior

engineers

of the area and after a call from TOI, I have instructed members of my staff to resolve the highlighted issues

Karampal Singh | executive engineer

I made repeated complaints to the office of the chief conservator about the monkey menace but the officers there gave me empty assurances of taking action. Residents, too, should stop feeding the monkeys to prevent them from coming to the area

Maheshinder Singh Sidhu | area councillor