Denied Water, Villagers Drag Their Plea to Bhopal Commissioner’s Office with 100+ Applications
Sehore Village Faces Severe Water Crisis, Villagers Take Their Fight to Bhopal
Bhopal: While the Madhya Pradesh government is running a Water Conservation Campaign from April 1 to June 30, the villagers of Bishankhedi in Sehore are struggling with an extreme water crisis. What’s even more shocking is that despite repeated complaints—from the Panchayat Secretary to the Sehore Collector—the administration has failed to drill even a single borewell in the village.
Desperate Villagers Carry 5-Meter-Long Trail of Complaints
Losing faith in the Sehore district administration, frustrated villagers traveled 60 km to Bhopal on Wednesday, carrying a 5-meter-long trail of complaint letters to seek justice. Over the past few weeks, villagers have submitted multiple petitions to the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary, urging the government to drill a borewell in their village. The Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department had already issued orders to begin the work, but the project never took off. On Wednesday, a villager named Bajrangi Nagar arrived at the Bhopal Divisional Commissioner’s office along with other villagers, carrying more than 100 complaint letters demanding immediate action.
Commissioner Orders Immediate Borewell Drilling
The villagers submitted a memorandum to Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Singh, stating that the PHE Department had already ordered borewell drilling near Dhakad Mohalla and Murlidhar Bada in Bishankhedi. However, due to political interference and the stubbornness of the Sarpanch’s husband, the drilling work was forcefully halted.
Political Pressure Blocking Water Supply?
Villagers allege that political influence is preventing a solution to the crisis. They claim that despite discussions with the Sehore Collector, no concrete action has been taken. The villagers are now demanding a formal investigation into the situation and immediate steps to resolve the crisis. They also insist on strict action against the Sarpanch’s husband and Tehsil officials responsible for obstructing the project.
Officials Allegedly Stopped Borewell Work
According to Bajrangi Nagar, the PHE Department had twice sent drilling machines to install a borewell, but Sarpanch’s husband, Jitendra Tamolia, did not allow the work to proceed. The second time, Naib Tehsildar Kishore Katare also intervened and ordered the removal of the drilling machine. Villagers also allege that the Sarpanch’s husband had taken funds for a water tank but never built it. Complaints regarding this scam have already been filed with the Collector’s public hearing and the CM Helpline, yet no action has been taken.
5 Pumps in 5 Years – But No Relief
Over the past five years, the PHE Department had allocated five electric pumps to Bishankhedi Panchayat, but their whereabouts remain unknown. Villagers claim that last year, the Sarpanch’s husband installed a government borewell at his own house and later removed the pump for personal use. The village, which has a population of over 2,000, has 20 handpumps, but only two are functional—the rest have completely dried up. The villagers continue to struggle for every drop of water, waiting for the administration to finally take action.
