BJP takes filthy water to Raj Bhavan, seeks Guv's intervention

Opposition BJP leaders today carried bottles filled with dirty water to the Raj Bhavan here and showed Odisha Governor S C Jamir the quality of water being consumed by the people in rural of the state.
The delegation lead by BJP state president Basant Panda also sought the Governor's intervention into the acute drinking water crisis across the state, mostly in the rural pockets.
"During our Jan Kalyan Jatra from Chandahadi block, we have seen the plights of people, mostly women, in collecting drinking water. We have shown the red colour water being consumed by people at Kaithapalli village under Khandapada block in Nayagarh district to the Governor," Panda told reporters after meeting Jamir.

Stating that the entire state was facing acute drinking water crisis, Panda said women wait for hours to get water from the supply lines. At some places, they walk up to four kilometres to fetch water.
"The Panchayati Raj Department has failed to supply water in the state despite availability of water tankers. We took up these issues with the Governor. He has assured us to take it up with the government," Panda said.
Stating that only one per cent of the villages have piped water facility, the BJP state president said 99 per cent villages struggle to get safe drinking water even though the BJD government had been in the power for the last 17 years.

Panda said his party would launch an agitation over the state government's failure to provide safe drinking water to the people.

The ruling BJD admitted that drinking water scarcity was prevailing in the state.
"The state government has taken steps to resolve the crisis. Orders have been issued to dig new tube wells and money kept reserved to repair defunct ones," said BJD spokesman P K Deb.
Claiming that the state government had been putting its best to resolve the drinking water crisis, the BJD spokesman alleged the Centre has not released a single rupee during the last two Budgets for drinking water facility.

This year, the Centre has earmarked only Rs 5,500 crore for drinking water, Deb said adding the state may get some money during 2016-17.