Residents protest removal of construction materials from incomplete water supply project
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Our Correspondent
Moirang, Feb 17: Residents of Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou Mamang on Tuesday staged a protest alleging that authorities removed construction materials from an incomplete water supply project without informing the public.
The protestors claimed that officials broke open the lock of the project site and took away the remaining materials even though the water supply scheme at Wards No 3 and 4 of Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou Mamang Leikai under Thinungei Gram Panchayat, Bishnupur Assembly Constituency, has not been completed.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, former Pradhan Nongthomba Ranbir Meetei said the water supply project, taken up under the Jal Jeevan Mission, had initially commenced in 2021. However, the work was halted for nearly one and a half years due to the ethnic violence in the State before resuming later.
He alleged that despite the project not being completed and water supply yet to begin, the authorities concerned arrived to remove the remaining construction materials from the site. “We cannot allow the materials to be taken away without completing the project and ensuring water supply to the residents,” he said, adding that the people are demanding immediate completion of the scheme.
Ranbir Meetei further stated that the area has been facing acute water shortage for many years. Prior to the outbreak of violence, residents depended on water sourced from nearby hill streams. However, due to the unrest and lack of proper maintenance over the past three years, the supply system has deteriorated, leading to severe scarcity.
He also pointed out that the shortage of potable water has adversely affected the health of villagers, with elderly persons and children frequently falling ill and, in some cases, requiring hospitalisation due to the consumption of unsafe water.
Appealing to the concerned authorities, the former Pradhan urged that the water supply project be completed at the earliest, particularly before the onset of the monsoon season, considering the hardships faced by the residents.
Moirang, Feb 17: Residents of Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou Mamang on Tuesday staged a protest alleging that authorities removed construction materials from an incomplete water supply project without informing the public.
The protestors claimed that officials broke open the lock of the project site and took away the remaining materials even though the water supply scheme at Wards No 3 and 4 of Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou Mamang Leikai under Thinungei Gram Panchayat, Bishnupur Assembly Constituency, has not been completed.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, former Pradhan Nongthomba Ranbir Meetei said the water supply project, taken up under the Jal Jeevan Mission, had initially commenced in 2021. However, the work was halted for nearly one and a half years due to the ethnic violence in the State before resuming later.
He alleged that despite the project not being completed and water supply yet to begin, the authorities concerned arrived to remove the remaining construction materials from the site. “We cannot allow the materials to be taken away without completing the project and ensuring water supply to the residents,” he said, adding that the people are demanding immediate completion of the scheme.
Ranbir Meetei further stated that the area has been facing acute water shortage for many years. Prior to the outbreak of violence, residents depended on water sourced from nearby hill streams. However, due to the unrest and lack of proper maintenance over the past three years, the supply system has deteriorated, leading to severe scarcity.
He also pointed out that the shortage of potable water has adversely affected the health of villagers, with elderly persons and children frequently falling ill and, in some cases, requiring hospitalisation due to the consumption of unsafe water.
Appealing to the concerned authorities, the former Pradhan urged that the water supply project be completed at the earliest, particularly before the onset of the monsoon season, considering the hardships faced by the residents.