When will Dispur supply drinking water to all in Guwahati? Asks All Assam Students’ Union (AASU)

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has asked a curt question to the State Government as to when the latter will be able to supply potable water to the people of Guwahati. The student body demanded a high-level inquiry into the burst of a water pipe at Kharghuli in the city yesterday.

Talking to newsmen in Guwahati today, AASU’s chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharjya said, "We don’t want to know any technicality involved in supplying drinking water to the residents of Guwahati. We just want a clear-cut reply from the State Government as to when it will supply potable water to the people."

Bhattcharjya said, "The Brahmaputra flows by Guwahati. All that the government has to do is collect water from the river, purify it, and supply it to the residents. How many assurances and deadlines will the government miss to make this happen?"

The AASU leader came down heavily on the government on the burst of a water pipe of the South Central Water Supply Project of Guwhati under Jal Board at Kharghuli on May 25 and said, "The burst of just a water pipe led to the killing of a person and damage to public property. Just think of what will happen if the dam of the Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project or any other megadam bursts. We have already experienced the submergence of lower Assam after the release of water from the Kurichu River, Kopili River, and the Ranganadi."

Regarding the haphazard water pipe laying in Guwahati, Bhattacharjya said, "What has gone seriously awry in the water supply projects in Guwahati? We often see workers digging out already-laid pipes on roadsides in Guwahati. It also happens that they cannot locate the very spots of leaked pipes as the laid pipes often do not tally with their maps."

Earlier in the day, the student body staged a protest in front of the Swahid Nyas at Uzanbazar against the leakage in a water pipe that led to the death of one and the injury of several others. The protesters burnt an effigy of Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal.

The protesters called it a very tragic accident and held the State government responsible for the disaster. They also demanded an ex-gratia for the woman who perished in the incident and medical expenses for the injured.

They also questioned why the public was not informed beforehand regarding the test of the water pipe carried out.

Also Read: Kharguli Water Pipe Burst: AASU Protesters Burn Ashok Singhal's Effigy

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