Hingoli (Maharashtra), Nov 1 (PTI) Women from a village in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district climbed an overhead water tank in a ‘Sholay-style’ protest against a severe drinking water shortage.
After the protest lasted nearly seven hours in Gondhankheda village on Saturday, the Block Development Officer, other officials and police reached the spot and promised an immediate solution, along with temporary water supply arrangements.
Following the assurance, the women agreed to end their agitation.
The village comes under the Jamthi-Gondhankheda group gram panchayat. Water was earlier supplied from a private well through a pipeline, for which villagers paid Rs 300 per month. However, the well owner recently disconnected the pipeline due to the falling
groundwater level and shortage of water for agricultural use, local residents said.
Although an overhead water tank was constructed and a well was dug on private farmland nearly two years ago, the tank has remained unused, they said.
The women had submitted a complaint to the panchayat samiti seeking an immediate solution, but no action was taken, the residents claimed. PTI COR KRK GK
