Durgapur, 06 Apr. 04:
The residents of Andal village here have threatened mass poll boycott in this year’s Lok Sava election alleging lack of water supply arrangement. The villagers also have subscribed a number of walling in favour of their call. The local panchayat however has remained indifferent to the call.

The Andal villagers across their political colours have declared the boycott alleging that the candidates seeking vote have failed to keep their promise for a sustained water supply system for the village that reels under acute water crisis during each summer. The village has 3000 voters. The villagers like Mr. Nandu Pandey, Mr. Sadhan Chatterjee who are leading the call said that the party candidates who visit only during the polls do not bother to lend a cooperative hand to the residents. Mr. Pandey said, ‘we have to collect a pot of drinking water from nearby Dubchururia village through van and rickshaw. We have been sustaining with the menace since decades.’ They complained, ‘even the women have to wait to get a pot filled for hours. Everyday they are humiliated by the Dubchururia villagers.’ 

The villagers earlier had subscribed a similar threat during the last panchayet elections. But when the Raniganj MLA and state minister, Mr. Bansogopal Chowdhury assured to ensure water supply soon after the election, the villagers rolled back. Mr. Sasi Choube, pradhan, Andal Gram Panchayet said, ‘the trouble has cropped up in the area after the state ministers went on assuring fake promises.’ The SDO, Durgapur said, ‘we have disconnected few water lines after a meeting those were found illegally tapped with the mainline. The boycott might have been a result of that.’ The Public Health Engineering however had attempted laying pipelines in the area in 1996. Several thefts of the articles finally forced the PHE to loose interest.