Chandigarh: Nearly 500 families in Faridabad’s Achievers Society have allegedly been living without a regular public drinking water supply for over two decades, prompting the Haryana Human Rights Commission to direct the authorities to ensure free and uninterrupted govt tanker supply until a permanent solution is found.Commission chairperson Justice Lalit Batra has sought reports from the Faridabad municipal commissioner and Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority (FMDA) CEO on the alleged failure to provide a public water network at Achievers Society, Kalindi Hill, Sector 49, at least a week before the next hearing on Nov 12.The residents told the commission that the society was developed under the TP-3 scheme in 2004-05. Initially, their water needs were met through borewells within the society, supplemented by private tankers. But as the borewells dried up, residents were forced to purchase water from private suppliers to meet daily requirements.The complaint alleged that the society had never been provided a regular public water-supply system.The commission observed that access to safe and adequate drinking water is not merely a civic facility but is intrinsically linked to the right to life, health, sanitation and human dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. It cited Supreme Court judgments recognising water as a basic necessity for human survival.The commission also examined the statutory responsibility of the civic authorities, referring to Section 267 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, under which adequate and wholesome water supply forms part of the internal services to be provided under sanctioned schemes.The officials have been asked to clarify whether a public water network exists in the society and, if not, why it was not provided; the status of borewells and other sources; the quantity and quality of available water; action taken on residents’ complaints; and the corrective measures and timeline for a permanent water-supply system. .