People of Kalikhola village along Indo-Bhutan border in Udalguri district stage protest.
People of Kalikhola village along Indo-Bhutan border in Udalguri district stage protest.

Scarcity of proper drinking water compelled the villagers of Kalikhola village along the Indo-Bhutan border in Udalguri district to stage a protest demonstration against the Assam government.

The villagers staged the protest holding placards and shouting slogans against State Minister for Public Health Engineering Rihon Daimari, whose home district is Udalguri.

The protestors, both young and old alike, holding their water drums and vessels came out in large number on Thursday to protest against the government’s apathy towards the villagers. The villagers demanded the government to take proper steps for providing potable water to the villagers.

The Kalikhola village under Nonai Serfang BTC constituency and Panery Legislative Assembly Constituency reportedly was allotted a drinking water supply project which functioned just for four days and has been lying defunct for the past six months.

The locals informed that the drinking water supply project was under the Tangla Public Health Engineering Office which is responsible for properly maintaining the water supply project.

The villagers alleged that despite repeated appeals from the people of the Kalikhola village to Panery legislator Kamali Basumatari and Nobai Serfang MCLA Suresh Tanti and even the officials of the Public Health Engineering Department, the appeals have fallen only in deaf ears.

The villagers alleged that the water supply scheme has not been functioning due to negligence on the part of the concerned officials of the State Public Health Engineering Department. The conscious circles have raised eyebrows on the situation ironically in the home district of State PHE Minister Rihon Daimari.