Gaya: Amid mounting complaints of irregular water supply during the ongoing heatwave, district magistrate (DM) Shashank Shubhankar on Wednesday conducted a surprise inspection of the Singra Sthan water supply centre. The inspection was carried out along with municipal commissioner Abhishek Palasiya and officials of the Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCO).During the visit, the district magistrate identified several discrepancies in the functioning of the facility. Taking a serious view of the lapses, Shubhankar issued showcause notices to the executive engineer and assistant engineer of Buidco, seeking an explanation. He also ordered immediate withholding of their salaries pending further review.The issue of inadequate water supply had been raised a day earlier at the empowered standing committee meeting of the Gaya municipal corporation. Members had expressed concern over the absence of Buidco officials from civic meetings and proposed informing the urban development department, Magadh division commissioner and the district magistrate in writing.Expressing displeasure over complaints received over the past four days, the DM also took note of a non-functional sluice valve lying unattended near the police lines. He climbed to the top of the overhead tank to assess water levels and instructed officials to adhere strictly to supply timings.Officials informed that the center operates two overhead tanks with capacities of 4 MLD and 4.24 MLD. While filling the tanks takes around 7–8 hours, water discharge is completed within 40–45 minutes.Directing urgent corrective measures, Shubhankar ordered round-the-clock deployment of staff to monitor operations and ensure uninterrupted supply during the heatwave. He emphasized that water must reach tail-end areas with adequate pressure during both morning and evening supply cycles. The municipal commissioner was asked to initiate strict action under disaster management norms if the situation does not improve promptly.Singra Sthan center supplies water to several localities, including Anugrah Puri, Chandauti, Mustafabad, Magadh Medical area, Chanakyapuri, police lines, Gewalbigha and Munni Masjid.
