Post News Network
Joda, May 9: Acute shortage of drinking water in various parts of Joda civic body forced many residents to stage a road blockade Saturday. Vehicular movement came to a standstill till the agitation was called off in the fore noon.
Residents of ward-9 along with slum dwellers came out with their pitchers and buckets to lodge their protest against the civic body over non-supply of drinking water.
Tempers ran high at Mangala temple when angry people blocked the road, keeping their pitchers on the road. However, Joda police rushed to the spot and pacified the situation.
Many residents of Sabun factory slum—Shankarshan Sharma, Braja Kishore Patra, Bhaskar Karua, Gahami Patra, Sunita Sharma and Puja Patra—alleged that though they have often requested the civic body authorities to take steps for supply of drinking water in their area, nothing was done.
They also alleged that the water tankers of the public health department are not coming to their area when people are desperate for having a drop of water in soaring temperatures.
Many tube wells are not working while water available from some other tube wells is not drinkable.
In summer, the residents earlier used to go to distant Tata colony to fetch water. But that is not possible now because the company had raised boundary walls around it, blocking their free access.
As water has become scarce now, they have to hunt for water at different places, they said. However, vice chairperson of the civic body Surendranath Jena, councilor of ward-9 Ashok Naik accompanied by police assured the agitating people of making provision of water supply to their area in 20 to 22 days. The, the agitating people relented.
