CPI (M) Secretary Highlights Drinking Water Crisis in Middle Andaman

Sri Vijaya Puram, Dec 13: During his recent visit to Middle Andaman, D. Ayyappan, Secretary, CPI (M) State Organising Committee had interacted with the villagers of Bakultala, Urmilapur and Kaushalyanagar. Villagers had drawn the attention of the CPI (M) Secretary towards the shortage of drinking water in the three Gram Panchayat areas of Betapur, Urmilapur and Kaushalyanagar. CPI (M) Secretary on reaching Port Blair, has sent a letter to the Chief Engineer, APWD bringing to his notice the above issue and said that while drinking water is supplied to the residents on alternate days throughout the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the residents of the above three Gram Panchayats are being supplied water after every two days i.e. once in three days.
The water supply in the above area is made from the tank located at Bakultala where water from Panchawati is brought through pipeline laid by the APWD several decades back. CPI (M) Secretary told the Chief Engineer that the pipeline which was laid through the forest area is always having leakage at many places from the stretch of Panchawati to Bakultala. Sufficient water is not being made available to the central tank located at Bakultala for distribution in the above-said three Gram Panchayats. Ayyappan told the Chief Engineer that no effort has been made to protect the existing pipeline from damage by wild animals and miscreants. At present, tankers are used to transport water from Panchawati to Bakultala for distribution to above villagers throughout the year, spending a large amount of money. CPI (M) Secretary has stated in his letter that due to lack of initiative on the part of the authorities in the Administration, thousands of villagers in the above three Gram Panchayats are put to unnecessary hardship.
CPI (M) Secretary requested the Chief Engineer, APWD to take necessary steps to replace the old pipeline laid between Panchawati and Bakultala with new pipeline in order to ensure supply of sufficient water to the residents of Bakultala, Urmilapur and Kushalyanagar in Middle Andaman.