The tribal people of the hilltop village of Ajaypuram of Cheemalapadu panchayat in Ravikamatham mandal in Anakapalli district are demanding completion of the drinking water supply pipeline work, pending for the last two years.
The affected people have been protesting on and off but the officials have failed to take action on their demand. A borewell was dug two years ago and a water tank was constructed eight months ago, pits were dug up but the pipeline work was left incomplete, Girijan Sangham leader K. Govinda Rao said in a statement on Monday.
He demanded early completion of the work and supply of water through taps to every household in Ajaypuram village, which has a population of 130 persons belonging to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). He said that funds were sanctioned for the work under the Jal Jeevan Mission last year.
Heavy equipment like earthmovers were procured and deep pits were dug up and the pipeline was partly laid. Sometimes children were falling into the pits and this had prompted the authorities to close the pits and stopped the work midway, he said.
A few days ago, tribal women carrying empty water containers on their heads, climbed up the tank and staged a protest. The tribal people were being forced to fetch water from the streams. Mr. Govinda Rao demanded immediate completion of the work to save the tribal people from water woes during the hot summer.
