Irked over the erratic supply of drinking water and electricity, the people of Dhanbad, Chas and a few rural pockets of Bokaro district came out on the streets and protested against the issues on Sunday.
Annoyed resident demonstrated against the district administration, Municipal Corporation and PHED authorities at different places in both the districts.
Over hundreds of people, led by Rajesh Mahato, member of JMM Central Committee, staged a protest at ITI More and Electricity Office Chas while another group of hundreds of Congress party supporters, along with local residents, led by Rajesh Thakur, stage a protest near the district administration office.
They also took out a rally and threatened to lock the offices if the supply is not restored within seven days.
Meanwhile, several women the group in Dhanbad, Karhariya, Nawadih, Surhi, Upparghat, Jainamore, Tupkadih also staged a protest with pots on the road and blamed the respective departments for the erratic supply of water as well as electricity.
“We have made several complaints with department officials, Mukhia as well as MLA too, but no one paid any heed,” alleged Sita Devi a resident of Surhi village.
Facing severe drinking water crisis for quite a long period, inhabitants of Lugu hillocks, Manpur village at Chandankiyari block and Surhi and Upparghat under Bokaro district also staged a protest.
There is no potable water facility for around 2000 families living in the village Manpur, about 6000 at Surhi and 25000 residents of Upparghat.
“About 100 wells and three ponds almost dried up in Surhi and we are struggling hard since past 18 days,” said Ratan Mahato a villager.
Asked about the water crisis, the Junior Engineer PHED Nawadih, S Ahmad, said mukhiyas had been directed to get the hand-pumps repaired at war footing.
Manoj Rai member of the Congress said, “City along with the State is gradually plunging into darkness. The satellite city Chas witnesses over 18 hours of load shedding every day. There is power supply only for 6 hours, it’s very difficult to study for the children; “they have to study using candles and lanterns.”
Rai said the poor power supply has compounded the people’s problems not only in Bokaro but in Dhanbad too. “The erratic power supply has also affected the water supply here,” he added.
District Congress Committee President M Ansari said, prolong intermittent power cut cripple lives here at Bokaro, hits commercial trading and industrial productions too.
“Continued power outages since past many days across the district are adversely affecting the domestic industrial production.
The erratic power supply has severely hit production activities, affected the industrial belts located in the outskirts the towns.
Most of the small and medium industrial units could not start production due to frequent tripping during the past fifteen days,” said Ansari.
The erratic power supply also affected our trading businesses, which may fall by 60 per cent in the past day, said Sharma. “Now we will have to depend on power generators and investors”, he added.