Kalaburagi: Drinking water problems have escalated in the villages of Afzalpur taluk, with residents of Balurgi village staging a protest by locking the gram panchayat office on Wednesday. The villagers alleged that although the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) project was completed in the village, it has not been handed over to the gram panchayat to date. They pointed out that some pipes under the JJM works were damaged, and no one came forward to repair them. Additionally, the villagers claimed that the water level in borewells had collapsed, exacerbating the suffering of the community without access to drinking water.
The village, which has a total population of 5,000, has submitted multiple memoranda to the taluk administration regarding the drinking water problems, but these appeals went unanswered, according to the residents. When the gram panchayat officer was questioned about repairing the borewell, the gram panchayat development officer stated that they did not have the government grant required for such repairs. This response prompted the villagers to lock the gram panchayat office on Wednesday and hold a protest.
Speaking to the media, Balurgi gram panchayat development officer Santhosh Basanur said, "I have asked the government several times to provide the grant to repair borewells, but the government has not given the grant till now. So villagers have locked us out of the gram panchayat office." The situation highlights the ongoing water crisis in the region and the frustration of residents who feel neglected by the authorities.
