Editor
In Short: Women in Panchgram, Hailakandi district, protested the long-standing water shortage, demanding MLA's intervention. The women faced difficulties due to the lack of drinking water and criticized the MLA's inaction. They later surrounded the police station, seeking immediate action. BJP assured resolution of the issue by addressing technical problems.
Hailakandi: A significant number of women staged a protest outside the residence of Algapur MLA Nijam Uddin Choudhury in Hailakandi district, Assam. Their grievance was the long-standing issue of a lack of drinking water supply in the Panchgram area.
The women demanded immediate action from MLA Choudhury, giving him a 24-hour ultimatum to resolve the water crisis. In response, the MLA contacted the assistant executive engineer of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED). However, he reportedly received an unsatisfactory response from the official.
According to a PHED official, the water supply was disrupted due to the ongoing maintenance work on the machinery. They assured that the issue would be resolved, but it would take some time to restore regular water supply. Interestingly, the residence of Swapan Bhattacharjee, the BJP's district president, is also located in Panchgram.
Expressing his concern, MLA Choudhury assured the protesting women that the water scarcity issue would be addressed promptly.
The women participating in the protest claimed that they have been suffering from acute water shortage for many years. They criticized MLA Choudhury for not initiating any major water supply project to alleviate the situation in the Panchgram locality.
Later, hundreds of women surrounded the Panchgram Police Station, chanting slogans and demanding an immediate solution to the water crisis.
Swapan Bhattacharjee, the BJP's district president, stated that they have contacted the relevant departments to resolve the drinking water scarcity issue. He mentioned that there are problems with the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) and the PHED, and once these issues are resolved, the water supply will be regularized. He also pointed out that similar water scarcity issues in the Panchgram area have been resolved in the past.