The people in Somwarpet Town Panchayat limits have vented their ire against the faulty unit of pure drinking water in the town, set up with the MLA LAD funds provided by Madikeri MLA M P Appachu Ranjan.
The unit was set up at a cost of Rs 10 lakh, in Somwarpet town. The agency which had availed the contract has implemented the project across the state. However, much to the disappointment of people, the unit is now dysfunctional.
In Somwarpet, a person was deployed for the maintenance of the unit. In the beginning, 20 litres of clean water was available for five rupees and one litre of clean water was available for two rupees.
Eventually, the unit dispensing one litre of water became dysfunctional. No effort was made by the concerned to repair the same.
The other unit dispensing 20 litres of water also developed a technical snag.
Now, even if one inserts a five rupees coin, no water is dispensed and the people are left disappointed.
The drinking water unit does not provide pure drinking water anymore, said Vijay Kumar, a local resident.
The water tank has not been cleaned for a long time. Even though the people collect water, they cannot store it for more than a day as the water turns green in colour.
Another resident, Nagesh, alleged that vegetables are being sold in the drinking water unit. Also, the vegetables are packed in plastic bags.
He pointed out that the Somwarpet Town Panchayat had banned plastic six years ago. But the same panchayat has been allowing the use of plastic pouches.