Silchar: Slogans of “We want water” reverberated across greater Lalpani–Niskar belt of Hailakandi district on Tuesday as hundreds of women, many carrying empty pitchers, blockaded NH-6.The crowd gathered to protest an acute drinking water crisis they were facing, despite having household tap connections under the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission.
The agitation began in the early hours, with residents from Lalpani, Gramthan, Bilpar and Niskar villages assembling on the highway and alleging that piped water supply has remained suspended for weeks. The women sat on the road in protest, triggering massive traffic snarls along the inter-state corridor.“How long can we survive without water? We have connections, but the taps run dry,” said a protester.Villagers claimed that though pipelines were laid and functional household connections provided, regular water supply has not been maintained for several weeks.Residents alleged that repeated memoranda submitted to officials of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department, engineers and local representatives failed to yield results.The blockade was lifted after Katlicherra circle officer M Das assured the agitators of restoring electricity supply to the water project at the earliest to resolve the water supply crisis.
