Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, September 26 2010:
Construction work of a water supply scheme at Awang Khunou in Imphal west have stopped following a diktat from an underground group.
Decrying the hindrance in development works, villagers today staged a sit-in protest.
Villagers said that construction work of the water supply sc KCP (MC) dictated to stop the construction work.
Strongly objecting to the hindrance given in the construction work of the water supply scheme, which is intended to supply safe drinking water to the villages surrounding Awang Khunou, villagers discussed the issue threadbare in a meeting.
The meeting noted seriously the matter of the UGs stopping the construction work and appealed to the KCP (MC) to make a clarification of the diktat imposed by them.Village womenfolk taking part in the sit-in protest said so far not a single word of clarification has come forth.
The sit-in protest was staged at Awang Khunou bus waiting shed.
Many slogans decrying the act of the UGs hindering village development works like, 'don't give any disturbances in village development works,' ' lift the ban imposed in taking up water supply construction works,' etc were displayed at the site.
The secretary of Awang Khunou Women Welfare Association said that Awang Khunou is not so far away from Imphal but is yet to taste safe drinking water.
At present they use water from a public pond in the village.
Villagers were anticipating with high hopes of getting safe drinking water when work on the water supply scheme commenced but with the construction work having stopped, the dreams of the villagers have been shattered, she added.