Dibrugarh: Hundreds of locals blocked the Tinsukia-Duliajan road in Tinsukia district on Thursday, protesting the failure of a govt drinking water scheme that has left nearly 1,400 villagers without access to clean water for over a year.
The two-hour blockade at Bahadur Chariali was organised by the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) to highlight the plight of Jhinga village, where a Jal Jeevan Mission project has become a symbol of failed implementation.
Jhinga village, home to approximately 1,400 individuals, have been grappling with a severe water crisis since the installation of water pipelines and taps in all 290 households over a year ago under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), a flagship central govt initiative. According to locals, the water supply was operational for only two weeks before it completely dried up.
"Water pipelines and taps were installed in all 290 households with great promises, but they ran dry within just two weeks of installation. Since then, our village has been struggling to access proper drinking water. We were hopeful when the taps were installed, but now they stand as mere decorations in our homes," Arunima Sonowal, a resident said.
According to locals, despite multiple complaints and memorandums submitted to the public health engineering department (PHED), authorities have failed to address the issue that has affected the village's entire population.
"We have submitted several memorandums to PHED, but our grievances have gone unheard," AJYCP's Tinsukia district general secretary Kanchan Borah said. He demanded immediate intervention from Tinsukia DC Swapneel Paul, calling for an investigation into the project's shortcomings and action against those responsible for the implementation failure.