DHARMAPURI: Residents of K Kullathinampatti village near Pennagaram staged a protest on Friday demanding a drinking water supply and condemning the local body for removing the pipeline supplying water to their village.
K Kullathinampatti village in Uthapalli panchayat is home to over 150 families. Nearly six months ago, the panchayat provided new pipelines supplying the Hogenakkal Drinking Water to ensure these families get clean drinking water.
However, three months ago, an owner of private land filed a complaint that the water lines must be removed as they pass through his land. Following this, the panchayat officials removed the pipes leaving the residents without any source of drinking water.
P Mariappan, a villager, told TNIE, "Three months ago, when the pipelines were removed, we were promised a regular water supply and a new supply line. But in the past three months, we have been buying water. People who cannot afford to buy water are travelling five km to fetch water from other villages. The panchayat officials have not taken any efforts to fix the pipe. So, we staged a protest."
After assuring action, Pennagaram Tahsildhar Sanmugasundaram and Hogenakkal inspector held talks with the villagers. "The protest led to traffic disruption along the Eriyur-Pennagaram road for over 2 hours," the police said.