MP: Water Woes Plague Ashoknagar Post-Election; adminstration intervened

After the elections that took place on November 17 in Madhya Pradesh, rivalries have started increasing in the villages. The powerful people of the village took control of the government tube well in Naya Kheda village of Ashoknagar district. The villagers complained about this to the administrative officials. The officials who reached the spot freed the government bore from the clutches of the bullies.

Ashoknagar(Madhya Pradesh): In the aftermath of the recent assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, the residents of Nayakheda village in Ashoknagar district find themselves entangled in a distressing water crisis. A government tube well, meant to serve the community, has fallen under the control of influential individuals who are allegedly coercing villagers, particularly women, to swear allegiance to a political party before permitting them access to this essential resource.

Before the elections, the government borehole supplied water to the village, but the flow ceased abruptly afterward. Disturbingly, locals claim that not only did the water stop, but contaminants, including mud, were deliberately introduced into the village well. As a result, villagers, including children, are compelled to consume this tainted water, leading to health concerns and a growing sense of despair.

"The people in power are frequently asking us to swear on our children whether we have voted for a particular party or not! They promised to allow us drinking water only after that. Even if we complain, there is no one listens to us," the villagers said.

Kalavati Lodhi, the Vice President of BJP Mahila Mandal, denies the allegations, contending that the bore was installed for public use months before the elections. “Few months before, the minister had installed a borewell for the public and people were using the water," she said.

"Our Lodhi community was not only drinking its water but they were also giving it to Dalits and people of other communities. Today, due to some technicalities the borewell has stopped functioning and they have started making all these wild allegations. They are lying to their teeth that we have asked them to vouch for BJP,” she added.

“There is another problem. The bore is in the leased area and the government officials have removed the bore without even examining the papers. We have decided to fight a legal battle against the government,” Lodhi said.

Gajram Singh, the Sarpanch of the village, provides an alternative explanation, stating that the municipal pipeline was damaged when a tractor ran over it, causing the contamination of water. However, Tehsildar Dilip Daroga, responding to the villagers' complaints, stated that the tube well has been cleared of encroachment, suggesting a possible resolution to the crisis.