Women invade sarpanch house for want of water

Akiveedu: Scores of women from Akiveedu panchayat protested against the panchayat’s negligence in supplying drinking water on Saturday. Carrying steel pots on their shoulders, women from the 13th ward rallied to the ward member and village’s deputy sarpanch Sheikh Hussain’s residence. The village has for a long time experiencing the problem of drinking water and despite repeated requests made in this regard, the village sarpanch did not bother to take a serious action on the same, the women protesters lamented.

Pacifying the women gathering, Upa Sarpanch Sheikh Hussain said that he had already instructed the panchayat secretary to put in place a pipeline to the ward. Further, he volunteered to bear the cost for laying the pipeline. However, the panchayat secretary did not respond to his request, said Sheikh Hussain. He expressed his disability to resolve the issue given the fact the secretary is residing elsewhere (Eluru) and he is stationed at Akiveedu.

Expressing solidarity with the problems highlighted by women, Sheikh Hussain said that the panchayat secretary is interested in sprucing up the office of panchayat office as an amount of Rs.4 lakh was spent on acquiring furniture. With the same amount, the water problem in his ward would have been solved, he averred. It is sad that Akiveedu with a population of 50,000 is plagued by the drinking water problem and he would take along the women of the village to meet the collector to press upon the same, said the Upa Sarpach.