Parched Haryana village seeks Rajasthan merger

HISAR: Anger has boiled over in three water-starved villages of Hisar district in Haryana, with residents of one hamlet deciding to petition the Rajasthan government for a “merger” with that state. Kaparo, Basara and Balawas have had repeated entreaties for a solution to the perennial shortage of drinking water either ignored by the authorities or placated with false promises.
Residents of Basara said they would like their village to be brought under Rajasthan as they had lost all hope of getting relief from the Haryana government. This village sits along the border with Rajasthan. At Balawas, the villagers have been continuing a sit-in for nearly two months over the same issue. They boycotted the Lok Sabha election and have threatened to skip the Assembly polls.
Restive villagers of Kaparo recently attacked Rajbala, an elected woman member of the panchayat, after a meeting with her failed to yield a solution. Sarpanch Shailendra said the village was making do with a water supply system dating back to 1971. The population has increased manifold since and there is not enough water in the village.
In 2017, CM Manohar Lal Khattar announced a second waterworks project for the village, but work hasn’t started yet, Shailendra said. “Our village recently decided to request Rajasthan CM to either adopt our village or get it merged with his state,” said Bhagat Ram of Basara. Advocate Naveen Rajli said that constitutionally, an area within one state could not be merged with another in this way.
“Parliament has to take this up. But if the demand has the Rajasthan government’s consent, it will be easier for the villagers to press for it.” Sarpanch Suresh Kumar of Balawas village said supply of drinking water for half an hour once in four days was a travesty.