Raiganj: A severe drinking water shortage has gripped Avinagar village in Itahar of North Dinajpur district. Desperate residents blocked the Itahar-Balurghat State Highway on Monday morning. For hours, local women, carrying empty utensils, staged a protest demanding an immediate solution to the water scarcity, leading to massive traffic congestion along the route.
The villagers said that all the tube wells in their area have stopped functioning due to a prolonged dry spell. The situation worsened as the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department’s water project, initiated months ago, remains incomplete.
“We are forced to travel to distant villages for a pot of water. Many are compelled to use polluted sources.
The repeated complaints to local Gram Panchayat officials and the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Itahar yielded no results,” said Chhabi Das , one of the protesting residents.
Police rushed to the spot to manage the situation.
The blockade was lifted after Rina Sarkar, Sabhapati of Itahar Panchayat Samity, assured the protesters of immediate relief.
Rina Sarkar said: “We will send fresh drinking water through tankers and will soon hold talks with PHE officials to complete the pending project.”