Hundreds of people led by former Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly Rama Chandra Panda and former Brahmapur Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Siba Shankar Das staged a dharna at Gosani Nuagaon here on Tuesday demanding supply of piped drinking water. Participating in the dharna, senior citizens including Panchanan Choudhury, Santosh Sahu, laxman Choudhury and local Corporator Namitarani Panda alleged that the pipeline, which was laid to Gosani Nuagaon two years back at a cost of Rs 1 crore, is not operational due to negligence and corruption. Panda said the piped water project from Janibilli to Dakhinpur is pending since 1978, as a result of which the city faces acute shortage of drinking water every year, he added. The dharna was later called off after PHD officials assured the public to compete the work within a month.