Puducherry Congress unit holds dharna seeking safe drinking water for people

Puducherry, Sep 24 (PTI) The Puducherry Congress unit led by its senior leader V Narayanasamy held a dharna outside Raj Nivas here on Wednesday criticising the union territory government for failing to ensure safe drinking water for residents in various localities.

Raj Nivas is the office-cum residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory.

The Congress leader appealed to the Lieutenant Governor to intervene and take steps to protect the citizens by supplying safe potable water.

Addressing mediapersons, Narayanasamy alleged that residents are facing hardship by consuming "contaminated" drinking water. There has been an increase in health issues in the last few weeks in Puducherry, he said.

Chief Minister N Rangasamy is heading the AINRC-BJP coalition ministry in the union territory.

Narayanasamy alleged that lack of coordination between the PWD and Local Administration departments in replacing drainage pipelines had been chiefly responsible for the sewage water getting into drinking water pipelines in Natesan Nagar, Vinoba Nagar, Thattanchavady, Orleanpet and a few other localities in Puducherry.

The former chief minister also said that several residents were admitted to hospitals following complaints of nausea, diarrhoea, and fever because of consuming "contaminated" drinking water. There were also reports that some people had died, he claimed.

He slammed the chief minister for having failed to call on the people undergoing treatment in the hospitals. PTI COR KH