‘Drinking water plant at cost of about Rs 17 cr soon’

Siliguri: After a long wait, the villagers under Phansidewa Block of Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad will get purified drinking water in the area. A drinking water plant will be set up at Barapathu Village under the block. About Rs 17 crore has been sanctioned for the project. After completing the project, villagers of at least 15 villages under Jalas Nizamtara area will get purified drinking water. Work for the project has already begun. “Villagers under Jalas Nizamtara area of Phansidewa Block are suffering from a severe drinking water crisis for years. After we came to power, we started working on resolving the basic needs of villagers. Finally, we could start the water project. After completing the project, villagers will get drinking water at their doorsteps,” said Ainul Haque Karmadhyaksha of Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad. There are about 15 villages in Jalas Nizamtara area, including Barapathu Village. There is no major drinking water project yet. Villagers depend on wells in their homes for drinking water.During the dry season, those wells also become dry and villages have to walk a long way to get water from Mahananda River.

Villagers staged protests several times demanding drinking water. They blocked roads, submitted deputation to Phansidewa Panchayat Samiti on many occasions. The Panchayat Samiti then requested the Public Health and Engineering department for the project. Finally, the project commenced with the initiative of the Public Health Department under ‘Jal Jeevan Mission.’