Residents of Chanot village in Haryana have decided to continue their agitation after failing to secure an assurance from Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini for a water connection through a T-joint from the Bhakra drinking water pipeline, which is designated for Hansi town. An 11-member delegation of the protesting villagers met the Chief Minister in Chandigarh to press their demand.
Chief Minister's Response
Committee members Anoop Singh, Satyawan and Himanshu, who were part of the delegation, reported that during the meeting, the Chief Minister stated that it was not possible to provide water to the village from the Bhakra pipeline. However, he assured them that a separate pipeline would be laid to supply water to the village. Despite this assurance, the villagers remained unsatisfied.
Villagers' Continued Demand
After returning to the dharna site in Chanot, the delegation held discussions with the protesters, who reiterated their demand for a connection from the Bhakra pipeline. The villagers have now called a meeting on Friday to decide their future course of action. They have been staging a dharna demanding the installation of a T-joint on the Bhakra drinking water pipeline.
Legal and Administrative Actions
The district police had registered cases against several villagers, including six members of the committee leading the agitation, for allegedly illegally installing a T-joint in the pipeline. The villagers, however, claimed that the T-joint was fitted by a person identified as Somesh Kumar, who had presented himself as a representative of the state government. The district administration later removed the T-joint, maintaining that the Bhakra pipeline was meant exclusively to supply drinking water to Hansi town under the AMRUT scheme.
Previous Mediation Attempts
Earlier, Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda, PWD Minister Ranbir Singh Gangwa, Inspector General of Police Kuldeep Singh and Deputy Commissioner Rahul Narwal had also held discussions with the villagers, but no resolution could be reached as the protesters remained adamant about obtaining water from the same pipeline. The district administration reiterated that the pipeline is exclusively for Hansi town under the AMRUT scheme.
