It is summer and public patience is running thin over erratic supply or non-supply of drinking water in several panchayats here in the district.
On Wednesday, residents of two panchayats took to the national highway and staged road blockades due to non-supply of drinking water and the acute water scarcity faced by them.
Residents of over 10 villages of Thandangam and A.Jettihally panchayats marched to the Salem-Dharmapuri national highway with empty water pots and cans, and staged a road blockade after dawn.
Villages
The protesters from among 10 villages including Oddapatty, N.G.O. Colony, Drivers Colony, PW Colony, Thengai Marathupattty, Muthumariamman temple, and Jeeva Nagar among others reached Oddapatty bus junction and blocked the national highway.
The protesters alleged that the panchayats had not been supplied of water for over a month and that they were buying water from tankers. Complaints to the district administration went in vain, the protesters alleged.
Taking a cue from the protest, residents of another panchayat took to the streets and staged a blockade for drinking water. The residents of Nehru Nagar with a population of 5,000 people, alleging non-supply of drinking water took to the street and blockaded the road near the Government Arts College.
The protests in two different parts of Dharmapuri constituency, witnessed agitated crowds demanding drinking water.
The agitated public refused to be assuaged by the intervention of the officials. The Block Development Officer of Nallampalli and Assistant Project Director along with the police held talks with the protesters.
Amid raging drinking water scarcity and bore wells running dry, the Hogenakkal drinking water scheme has failed to come to the aid of the district.
The protests in two different parts of the town derailed the morning traffic of office-goers and students.