Residents of Mangalam village in the district have threatened a hunger strike, saying that their petition seeking drinking water supply has remained unaddressed for over a year.
Over 100 families have been living on Puthiya Ottatheru in Mangalam village of Thevaiyur panchayat. Drinking water was supplied to people through two overhead tanks in the area. Two years ago, a cement road was laid in the area and panchayat officials closed over 40 drinking water pipes in front of the houses.
Though they promised to provide new connections, nothing has happened till now, one resident alleged.
They said that they face a lot of difficulties, but manage to get water from taps and wells in other areas. Several complaints submitted at the panchayat office, Veppanthattai Block Development office and Chief Minister's special cell have gone in vain, they added.
MN Kalai Annamalai, a resident, told TNIE, "I used to get water from a tap in front of my house. When it was closed, I started fetching water from another house in the village. Later, I had to stop that and fetch water from wells in a nearby village situated 1 or 2 km away."
Another resident V Thangavelu said, "We need more than 4 to 6 pots each day for cooking and drinking purposes. Since it is summer, we are forced to wait to get water from other areas because all the places are crowded. This is not a permanent solution to our problem. We have complained about it to the panchayat
and Veppanthattai BDO, but no action has been taken. We are planning a hunger strike in front of the panchayat office."
When contacted, Thevaiyur panchayat official said, "We are taking steps to set up a water pipeline, and it will be laid soon."