Jamshedpur: Bagbera residents march on foot to New Delhi for water

To meet PM to demand completion of Bagbera Rural Water Supply Project

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, March 21: A delegation of 21 residents of Bagbera set out on a padyatra (march on foot) to New Delhi as a pre-planned agitation against the ongoing water crisis in the locality.

The delegation was garlanded and seen off by hundreds of residents of Bagbera at Harharguttu Kali temple around 10 am today. Before leaving, the delegation handed over a memorandum of demands to East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Vijaya Jadhav and the Superintending Engineer of Drinking Water and Sanitation Department, Jamshedpur. The delegation would first go to Ranchi and gherao Raj Bhavan. After giving memorandum to the Governor, it would leave for New Delhi, said Subodh Jha, patron of Sampoorna Ghaghidih Vikas Samiti and Bagbera Managar Vikas Samiti.

The main demand of Bagbera residents is the implementation of Bagbera Rural Water Supply Project which is funded by World Bank. Even after several years of its inauguration, the project is still to be completed, causing suffering to thousands of families in Bagbera.

As per plan, the delegation would reach New Delhi on the 93^rd day of its journey. On reaching the national Capital, the delegation members would stage demonstration before the Parliament and hand over a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jha said.

Bagbera residents have been agitating for clean drinking water since 2005. So far as many as 389 sit-ins have been organized by them. The residents have gheraoed the Jharkhand Assembly six times and Raj Bhavan twice. Former Chief Ministre Raghubar Das had inaugurated the Bagbera Rural Water Supply Project in 2015. A target of completing the project by 2018 was set then. But the project still remains incomplete. The total project cost is Rs 237 crore, out of which Rs 211 crore have been spent so far. World Bank has joined hands with the Centre and Jharkhand state government to implement this project.