Bimal Gurung, the president of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, has alleged that the current BGPM-led board of Darjeeling municipality is illegally providing water connections for amounts of more than Rs 1 lakh per connection.

The rate for a domestic water connection is Rs 17,500. Water pipes have to be laid at one’s own expense.

“The present municipality board has started engaging in corruption. Water connections are being illegally provided at amounts of more than Rs 1 lakh,” alleged Gurung.

Dipen Thakuri, the chairman of Darjeeling municipality, said he was unaware of the allegation. “I have not heard of this allegation,” he said.

Thakuri along with five Hamro Party councillors defected to the BGPM to topple the previous Hamro Party-led board.

Gurung’s allegations come at a time when there is a scarcity of drinking water in the hill town. At the moment water is being distributed once every two or three days in the main town area and once every four to five days in areas on the outskirts like Singamari.

“The daily requirement of water in Darjeeling is about 8 million gallons but at the moment there is a supply of only around 1.5-2 million gallons,” said a source.

The 22 streams from where water is drawn to reservoirs at Tiger Hill only supply around 650 gallons of water in a day.

“We are relying on water pumped from the Balason river,” said a source.

There were some issues related to some pumps a few days later.

“At the moment three pumps are cumulatively pumping 6 to 8 hours a day. Every hour of pumping is providing us around 3,30,000 gallons of water,” the source added.

Darjeeling has three reservoirs to store water at Tiger Hills. While the capacity of North Lake is 20 million gallons, South Lake can hold 13.5 million gallons.

“The third lake can hold 14 million gallons but there are problems in storing water to full capacity,” said the source.

Many stress the need to build more reservoirs.

“Things would improve once the Rs 205 crore water distribution project under AMRUT is completed,” said a source.

Right now, permission is awaited from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to lay pipes along NH55.

“The permission is likely to come in the coming week,” said a source.