Narayanpatna: Safe drinking water has become a pipe dream for residents of at least two Maoist-hit panchayats under Narayanpatna block in Koraput district.
Even as piped water projects at the cost of lakhs of rupees were set up about a decade back, at present they are left to rust amid a thick growth of bushes. Repeated requests of people of Langalabeda panchayat over the years are yet to evoke any response from authorities. Many of them even levelled corruption charges against Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) officials when Laxmipur MLA Kailash Chandra Kulesika visited the village Friday. Residents of Borigi, another naxal affected panchayat, also face similar problems, a report said.
“The water supply mission has failed to progress beyond a pump house being erected with the name of the project written on its wall. The project is neither being repaired nor have any alternative arrangements for supply of water to the villages are being made,” Langalbeda sarpanch Ratamani Manding, Borigi sarpanch Iswar Huika and other villagers including Dhana Choudhury, Raju Manding alleged.
Nearly 100 tribal families reside in Langalbeda village and they are forced to manage water from two tube-wells which were drilled years back. One of them is found to be lying defunct more often than not, the villagers said.
The RWS&S department had set up a rural water supply project in Langalbeda village at the beginning of the 2007-08 fiscal. All prerequisites ahead of water supply, like drilling of a bore well, installation of pump, construction of pump house and electricity connection had been taken care of at that time. However, the villagers’ dream of getting supply water remained unfulfilled till date. Surprisingly, the electricity department removed the transformer a few months back while the other machinery too is not visible inside the pump house.
The engineer of the project has misappropriated funds of the project leaving tribals in the lurch, the villagers alleged.
When contacted, the block development officer said the project doesn’t come under his jurisdiction. However, he would try to facilitate its repair, the BDO added.
Meanwhile, the villagers demanded a probe into the disappearance of project machinery and as to why the transformer was removed from the utility poles. PNN