Citizen Connect: Parties abandon Anaicut after polling, residents reel under water scarcity

The village is located off East Coast Road and it comes under the Lathur panchayat union. The villagers said that they have been facing severe water crisis for the past few months and added that the local party members supplied tanker water for them after the elections were announced. But the supply was cut off immediately after the polling.

After several complains, the panchayat officials told the residents that they cannot supply water now as the motor is not working. Residents lamented that they were unable to do day-to-day activities due to lack of water. “It is impossible to get ready for office on time as there is no water, even for essential needs. We have to buy water from outside for everything,” Dinesh, a resident of Annaicut, said. Residents were furious that the political parties attended to their needs just ahead of elections and then abandoned them right after it. They decided to stage a road roko to bring the issue to the attention of higher officials.

Following that, hundreds of villagers gathered at Pavunjur-Koovathur road and blocking a government bus. The villagers refused to move from the road till the officials visited the spot and give them a solution. After hours of protest, the Anaicut police along with village panchayat and Lathur panchayat union officials visited the spot. They convinced the villagers to disperse and arranged for tanker water, too.

But the residents said thet the water was suppleies only on the day of protest and they went back to being denied of water from the next day onwards.

When contacted, Lathur Panchayat Union Block Development Officer (BDO) R Sivakumar said, “We need to replace the motor as the water level has gone too low and we have also planned to increase the number of borewells. Soon the tender will be given and the work will start.”