Berhampur (Odisha), Apr 13: Demanding immediate steps to solve the acute drinking water problem in the south Odisha town, activists of Berhampur Nagarika Committee have launched an indefinite agitation here.
The agitators led by BJP leader and former deputy speaker of Odisha assembly, Ram Chandra Panda began a dharna here and threatened to continue the agitation if the government did not come forward for immediate solve of the drinking water problem.
The agitators alleged that many areas of the town were presently reeling under acute shortage of drinking water due to non-supply through the pipe and defunct tube-wells.
The problem was likely to be aggravated in the coming days as thousands of the people from far off places expected to be influx for the ongoing Thakuranai Yatra, Panda said.
“We demand that at least 100 tankers be pressed in the town for regular supply of water to mitigate the problem immediately,” Panda said.
In the long-term, former deputy speaker demanded implementation of Janibili project to draw more water through the pipe.
“The government had promised to made budgetary provision for the project on January 29, 2011, when we had agitated. However, there has been no progress in the project,” he alleged.
Official sources said as many as 33 tankers were pressed to supply drinking water in the town. The tankers are pressed in the areas after being consulting with the MLA, corporators and mayor of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC), said executive engineer P K Mohapatra.
“The government has also instructed us to press more number of tankers for the purpose, if necessary”, he added.
On Janibili project, he said Rs 409-crore project proposal was cleared by the government. The project was likely to be implemented after finalization of its sources of the fund, he added.
