Tender process to begin from December 25
Jamshedpur: Residents of Bagbera and Ghaghidih under the aegis of Sampurna Ghaghidih Vikas Samiti (SGVS) have ended their strike after a tripartite meeting at the site of agitation near Bagbera police station.
The meeting attended by railway officials led by assistant divisional engineer (AND-I) Tatanagar, R.P Meena, district administration represented by executive engineer of drinking water and sanitation department, Jamshedpur Raghunandan Sharma and Jamshedpur circle officer, Prabhat Bhusan and SGVS convener Subodh Jha assured that the global tender of the drinking water project would begin after December 25 this year and the project would be completed within two years.
�We are happy with the assurance and have decided to call off our agitation. The administration and railway have also agreed to mutually settle the no-objection issue in a meeting on December 16,� said SGVS convener Subodh Jha.
The residents of Bagbera and Ghaghidih had sat on a dharna on Tuesday and launched an indefinite hunger strike from Wednesday to protest non-execution of a Rs 132-crore rural water project, which was sanctioned in 2006 but is yet to take off.
The agitators had also threatened to start blockade of the railway pump house from this morning as the project was getting delayed because of officials of South Eastern Railway had not provided clearance for a pipeline passing under tracks of the Adityapur-Jugsalai bridge.
The water project aims to supply piped water to over 2 lakh residents of Bagbera, Kitadih, Karandih, Parsudih and Ghaghidih.
The Rs 132 crore Baghbera rural drinking water project sanctioned by the drinking water and sanitation department of the state government is yet to commence despite being in paper since 2006.
The project has seen five detailed project reports (DPRs) being framed by consultants but nothing concrete has taken place so far at the ground level.
The project would benefit a populace of over 3 lakhs residing in 113 villages in 21 panchayats of Bagbera, Harharguttu, Ghaghidih, Kitadih and Parsudih. It envisages construction of a water treatment plant near Ghaghidih central jail and three water tanks.
Under the aegis of Sampurna Ghaghidh Vikash Samity (SGVS) residents are protesting. The impact of summer has hit early this year.
The ground water level at various places has gone down considerably due to the mushrooming high-rises. Moreover due to the rising temperature the water level of two important rivers Swarnarekha and Kharkai has decreased substantially.
BMVS convener Subodh Jha said that the residents of the area have been suffering from diarrhoea and other water borne diseases after drinking water from tube wells due to absence of piped drinking water