SALIGAO: Frustrated with the water shortage in Mapusa and surrounding areas, a group of residents staged a dharna outside the office of the PWD assistant engineer in Mapusa, holding empty pots and utensils in hand. The residents marched inside the office of assistant engineer Mahesh Kotawdekar only to find that he as well as most of the staff were not present in office.
A junior engineer was among the few found seated there. Annoyed with the absence of the staffers, the agitated residents began banging the utensils together as a mark of protest. They sat outside the office in wait for Kotawdekar, who later arrived and assured that the water shortage will be resolved at the earliest.
Police were also called in to ensure that there was no law and order situation.
Locals said many areas like Morod, Ansabhat, Dangui Colony, Ghateeshwar Nagar and Feira Alta in Mapusa have been receiving water supply only on alternate days for weeks now. Besides Mapusa, residents of the surrounding villages of Verla Canca, Saligao and Siolim have largely been left dependent on tankers for their water requirements for around a month now.