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The residents of Ward 4 of Madhukkarai municipality in Coimbatore district staged a protest on Tuesday by blocking the Coimbatore-Palakkad road after their plea to the authorities for drinking water fell on deaf ears.
The protest that lasted for around half-an-hour came to an end after the authorities promised that drinking water would be provided soon. The 30-minute blockade caused hardship to the people with the vehicular traffic being affected as this is the main road connecting Tamil Nadu to Kerala. Subramanian, a resident who was one among those who participated in the protest told IANS said that around 750 families were relocated from areas such as Kuniyamuthur, Sunnambu Kalavai, Kurichi, and Athupalam during the encroachment clearance drive that took place a year ago. Those relocated families were facing drinking water shortage since they were shifted but for the past thirty days, they were not getting any supply of drinking water. The protesters submitted that they met Coimbatore Corporation Mayor Kalpana Anandkumar but she did not help and they met the chairman of Madhukkarai municipality who also did not help. Subramanian said that there were no other options left but to stage a protest blocking the road with empty pots. Hundreds of people including women and children participated in the protest. The residents called off their protest after police and revenue officials intervened and assured them that there would be a regular supply of drinking water. Subramanian said that they would continue the protest if the officials do not keep their word. --IANS aal/pgh ( 269 Words) 2022-08-16-21:50:04 (IANS)
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