One pot of water costs ₹12, say villagers in Thoothukudi dist

A potful of drinking water costs ₹12, said womenfolk from Srivaikunta Perumalpuram in Thoothukudi district here on Monday and urged the authorities to immediately set right the drinking water pipeline.

Submitting petition at the weekly grievance meeting at the Collectorate, five of the representatives from the village led by its president Murugesan said that about 200 families lived in the hamlet. The drinking water was sourced from the Vallanadu Integrated Drinking Water Project. Though there were two taps, one remained non-functional for several years, while through the lone tap, 200 families drew water.

Under such circumstances, the lone tap also turned faulty and the panchayat officials claimed that they have submitted a detailed project report to the higher officials, but in reality, the residents claimed that they were forced to pay money for the potable water.

Some private merchants sold water and collected ₹12 per pot, the villagers said and demanded the officials to immediately rectify the repair and replace the pipelines on a warfooting.

They also alleged that a waterbody in the village was being encroached by some people, who had planned to use it as a saltpan.

A large number of public from as many as 10 villages including Milavittan submitted a petition seeking to reopen Sterlite Copper Plant in Thoothukudi. The unit, which was closed down over three years ago, had left hundreds of people from these villages jobless.

With no signs of the unit being reopened in the near future, the petitioners said that they were finding it very tough to make both ends meet. Hence, in the larger interest of the masses and their livelihood, the Sterlite Unit should be reopened soon, they pleaded.

In Tirunelveli

Womenfolk from Melapaatam, near Palayamkottai, submitted a petition to the Collector V Vishnu to direct the authorities to employ them under the 100-day job scheme - MGNREGA. For at least five months now, the authorities had been citing some reason or the other and not giving them jobs.

Several pleas to them had not fetched any results. The officials claimed that jobs were available only for 40-50 womenfolk and suggested them to take turns. Even such jobs were not available now. At a time, when job seekers wanted the government to give them employment all through the year, the officials showed no sympathy to engage them, the womenfolk said and appealed to the Collector to intervene.