New Delhi, March 13 -- Hundreds of women blocked the State Highway at Balapur under the Tapan Block on Wednesday morning protesting against scarcity of drinking water for the past three years.
According to the agitators, even after informing the Panchayat and block administration, the issue has not been resolved. They have threatened to boycott polls if the issue is not resolved.
Traffic came to a standstill on the Balurghat-Tapan State Highway due to the road blockade. Women of the area protested with buckets. Cops from the Tapan Police Station reached the spot and managed to lift the blockade. Normalcy was restored after an hour. An assurance was given to the agitators that the problem would be resolved. "We were forced to hit the streets due to the non-availability of water for about three years in our village. We informed the local Panchayat and block officials regarding the matter but the issue has not been solved yet. We are being forced to drink contaminated pond water, " said Jharna Sarkar, a protester.
Aparna Barman, another agitator, said: "By drinking polluted water, many of the villagers suffer from various water-borne diseases. We demand an immediate solution otherwise we will be forced to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha poll 2024." Budhrai Tudu, MLA, Tapan stated: "It is a grave issue.
We will try to resolve it at the earliest."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.