Residents in many villages in Yadgir district are suffering from lack of basic amenities, including drinking water, toilets, drainage and transportation, because of official apathy.
Drinking water problem is severe in Kadamgera, Kyatnal, Mallhalli, Tokapur, Machanur, Hayyal, T. Wadegera, Tadabidi, Gurusunagi and Nalavawadagi villages in Shahapur taluk, and in Kanekal, Kalabelagundi, Mudnal, Abbetumukur villages in Yadgir taluk after most of the borewells drilled in these villages dried up.
However, no action has been taken to either repair them or provide potable drinking water. “Our repeated requests to gram panchayat officials, zilla panchayat officials and also district administration, ended in vain,” said Umesh Mudnal, a social activist.
Residents have to walk a kilometre or more every day to bring drinking water from nearby streams and open well, he said.
Public transportation is a major problem in the rural areas due to the bad state of roads. Approach roads, constructed decades ago, have remained unrepaired and no action has been taken to fill potholes.
The North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation has suspended its bus services to at least 15 villages in the district. Villagers and students currently use private vehicles to reach the taluk headquarters.
The Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan scheme for constructing individual toilets in each house in rural areas has not reached the people effectively. The target of constructing individual toilets in the district was 20,157 till end of March 2015. But officials had constructed only 11,908 toilets till then.
“We have taken all necessary steps. But, the scheme has not reached every individual effectively owing to lack of knowledge among the people about the importance of individual toilets,” sources at the zilla panchayat said.
Mr. Umesh said that they would intensify protests against the officials until their demands are fulfilled.
P. Sunil Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of Yadgir Zilla Panchayat, said he would send officials to visit the villages facing problems and instruct them to provide drinking water from alternate sources with immediate effect, and to take zero-tolerance attitude towards drinking water issues.
