Karnataka: Rain Gods and administration go silent in Raichur

Raichur, April 25: There seems to be no respite from the cruel heat. The rain Gods have refused to hear the prayers of the people. With the rain Gods refusing to listen, the people have no choice but to turn to the administration. Take the plight of the people at Raichur in Karnataka for instance.

Has the situation improved after the visit by the Chief Minister to the drought hit areas? Hardly the people say.

What the people want is the implementation of the promises. What is worse is that the local administration is unable to reign in on the water mafia, which has hiked the price of water from Rs 10 to Rs 20.

Water is getting costlier:

The problem with the water mafia is not restricted to Karnataka alone. It is present in every state and it is clear that the respective governments have done little to regin in on them.

Kamalamma, a resident of Raichur says that until last week we would pay Rs 10 for a pot of water. This week it has increased to Rs 20.

How is this justified she asks? After all the water belongs to the government and they are selling it at the price they feel like. They know that the demand for water has increased and hence they have hiked up the price she says.

However, those selling the water have a different take. They say that there is acute shortage and their investment has gone up. Hence the hike in the price of water.

With water becoming costlier, the people have been looking for other sources. We need to walk at least 5 kilometres to get water now.

In Raichur, people have found that the only source of water is from a temple tap. The temple is situated on top of a hill and people walk up to fetch the water. However the water has become limited now with the demand increasing.

If this source dries for the people, then it is back to buying water. The villagers say that they hope that the water mafia is regulated. They are being unfair in charging so much water, the people also say.

OneIndia News