Villagers blocked National Highways at three different places in the State on Wednesday demanding facilitation of drinking water in their areas.
While residents of Tilakapada and Kaladi under Gudari panchayat staged a road-blockade at Tilakapada Square of Phulbani, similar scenes were witnessed at at Dhenkikote in Keonjhar district where locals blocked NH-251 and at Maneswar Square of Sambalpur as well.
In each case, hundreds of agitators including women and children blocked the highway with pots, buckets and shouted slogans against the administration and demanded water.
“We hardly get any drinking water here. Forget about the water for livestock and for household chores. We have been demanding facilitation of water to the administration time and again, but in vain. That is why today we resorted to road blockade,” said an agitator in Phulbani.
Vehicular traffic was badly hit on the roads because of the demonstrations. Hundreds of vehicles on both sides were stranded in scorching heat at the three places.
The blockades were, however, lifted after the local administrations reached out to the agitators and assured of water supply.