Murshidabad villagers struggle for safe drinking water despite govt initiatives

By A Representative

A glaring issue of water scarcity has come to light in Katlamari II Gram Panchayat (GP) under Raninagar II Block in Murshidabad district of West Bengal. Despite government initiatives like the Jal Jeevan Mission and the "Har Ghar Nal Jal" scheme, over 27,000 residents of this area are still deprived of safe drinking water.

Residents of Haru Mondal Para, Mohanganj, Ramnagar Para, Nabir Para, Babu Para, Char Sarandajpur, Arolpara, Guripara, and neighboring villages claim they are being overlooked by the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department. Unlike nearby gram panchayats such as Rajapur GP and Malibari I GP, where water tanks and household tap connections have been installed, Katlamari II GP lacks even a single water tank or pipeline.

The problem is exacerbated by the region's arsenic-prone water sources, forcing villagers to rely on costly bottled water for survival. Despite repeated petitions to local authorities, including the Block Development Officer and the District Magistrate, no action has been taken to address the crisis.

The villagers submitted a mass petition in November 2024, urging immediate intervention. However, their pleas remain unanswered. This neglect has raised concerns about discriminatory practices by the PHE Department, as most residents belong to Scheduled Caste and OBC Muslim communities.

The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched in 2023, aims to provide every rural household with tap water by 2030, targeting 100% permanent drinking water security at 70 liters per capita per day. The Supreme Court of India has also emphasized the state's responsibility to ensure access to clean drinking water as a fundamental right under Article 141 of the Constitution.

Kirity Roy, Secretary of Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has highlighted the issue in a formal letter to the Chief Secretary of West Bengal. The letter underscores the urgency of the matter, urging the government to take swift action to ensure the provision of safe drinking water for the affected population.

The villagers' plight calls for immediate attention and a resolution to uphold the fundamental right to safe drinking water for all.

Comments

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

By A Representative A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

UAPA action against Telangana activist: Criminalising legitimate democratic activity?

By A Representative The National Investigation Agency's Hyderabad branch has issued notices to more than ten individuals in Telangana in connection with FIR No. RC-04/2025. Those served include activists, former student leaders, civil rights advocates, poets, writers, retired schoolteachers, and local leaders associated with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Indian National Congress.

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

Aligning too closely with U.S., allies, India’s silence on IRIS Dena raises troubling questions

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The reported sinking of the Iranian ship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka raises troubling questions about international norms and the credibility of the so-called rule-based order. If indeed the vessel was attacked by the American Navy while returning from a joint exercise in Visakhapatnam, it would represent a serious breach of trust and a violation of the principles that govern such cooperative engagements. Warships participating in these exercises are generally not armed for combat; they are meant to symbolize solidarity and friendship. The incident, therefore, is not only shocking but also deeply ironic.

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

India’s foreign policy at crossroads: Cost of silence in the face of aggression

By Venkatesh Narayanan, Sandeep Pandey The widely anticipated yet unprovoked attack on Iran on March 1 by the United States and Israel has drawn sharp criticism from several quarters around the world. Reports indicate that the strikes have resulted in significant civilian casualties, including 165 elementary school girls, 20 female volleyball players, and many other civilians.

Search This Blog