2 protesters detained, 60 booked
DAY 10 Kaithu, Kacchi Ghatti residents protest, bring traffic to a halt; BJP councillor on indefinite hunger strike
SHIMLA : Police detained two protesters and booked 60 people for unlawful assembly with protests against an acute water shortage continuing as some areas in the hill town remained without water for the 10th day on Thursday.
The water situation improved marginally on Thursday as the city received 22 MLD (million litres daily) against 18 MLD a day before.
Angry against the non-supply of water as promised by the administration, residents of Kaithu brought the traffic to a halt on the main circular road near Tara Hall late Wednesday.
“There is no water in our houses, and when we took to the roads, the police misbehaved with us,” said Prashant Sharma, a local resident. Two persons of Kaithu locality, who were detained by the police at the Sadar police station, were later released. The police have booked more than 60 persons for unlawful assembly in Chotta Shimla, Talland, Sanjauli, Chakkar, Kaithu, the deputy commissioner’s office and Kacchi Ghatti.
PROTESTS AND HUNGER STRIKES MARK DAY
On Thursday, about 100 people blocked the Shimla-kalka national highway near Kachhi Ghatti for the second time in a day. “Cops had pacified the Kacchi Ghatti residents when they tried to block the traffic in the morning, but they took to the road again before noon,” said Shimla superintendent of police (SP) Omapati Jamwal.
A group of people from the Benmore municipal ward went to the residence of chief minister Jai Ram Thakur to complain about water shortage. “Our locality was without water for the tenth day today,” rued BJP councillor Kimi Sood.
“We had no option but to approach the CM as the municipal corporation and irrigation and public health (IPH) department officials are not paying any attention to our pleas,” she said, adding that Thakur promised to resolve the problem.
BJP councillor Arti Chauhan from the Engine Ghar ward in Sanjauli sat on an indefinite hunger strike at the deputy commissioner’s office, demanding immediate water supply to her ward and threatened to intensify her stir if her demand was not met.
Irrigation and public health minister Mahinder Singh Thakur visited the Gumma catchment area last evening and dissuaded the nearby villagers from using water for irrigating their fields. “Such measures adopted by villagers would add another 4 MLD of water to the daily supply from Gumma,” said Thakur.
Earlier, CM Jai Ram Thakur reviewed the water situation in Shimla, and directed officials to take adequate measures.