Wednesday, July 6, 2011

[ZESTCaste] Dalits prevented from drawing water from well

 

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-05/chennai/29738457_1_dalit-families-drinking-water-village

Dalits prevented from drawing water from well
K Ramanujam, TNN Jul 5, 2011, 05.42am IST

MADURAI: Dalits of Yanamalai Kodikulam village have been prevented
from fetching water from a well by non-dalits to protect the
'sanctity' of the well. For decades, dalits of the village, have not
been allowed to use the well, the only source of potable water in the
village, about 12km from Madurai. The district collector U Sagayam
heard the plight of the Dalits on Monday and assured that the problem
would be set right in 10 days.

Ward member of Kodikulam panchyat, M Premkumar told TOI that more than
200 dalit families reside in Indira Nagar, but there was no proper
drinking water facility in the area. So dalits are forced to depend on
the well located near the Malaisamy temple. But the non-dalits prevent
them from going near the well, saying the water would get polluted if
they came anywhere near it.

President of the Kodikulam panchayat, S Santhana Lakshmi Sathish Babu,
a non-dalit herself, denied the allegations. She said government
officials had recently enquired into the issue and found the
allegation to be baseless. Malaisamy, a non dalit from the village,
said it was their right to prevent dalits from drawing drinking water
from the well. Madurai SP Asra Garg said a police team would be sent
to the village on Tuesday to investigate the matter. He said police
protection would be provided to dalits.

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