Hailakandi (Assam), Jul 27 (IANS): Telkatapunji village in Assam's Hailakandi district, nearly 350 km away from the state capital, lacks the facility of drinking water even after 75 years of independence and rain is the only source of water for the 250 families living there.

The village, where primarily Reang people live, is surrounded by small hills and is barely situated at a distance of 40 km from the Hailakandi district town.

The villagers claim that they have urged the administration several times to put a water plant in the village however no action has been initiated so far.

The inhabitants have made several reservoirs using bamboo to accumulate the rainwater as because of the hilly terrain, there are no ponds or natural reservoirs of water in the village.

However, every winter, the villagers face a hard time as they have to travel at least 15-16 km to collect water. The nearby water plant is in the Katlichara area and the villagers buy water from there.

The conditions of roads in the village are so bad that it is even difficult to drive. Moreover, it is a tiresome task to bring water for daily needs through these roads from such a long distance every day.

The Central government has launched the 'Har Ghar Jal' programme where every household will have access to piped water. In the Hailakandi district also, the programme has started. The state minister Jayanta Mallabaruah on a recent visit to the district assured that this ambitious plan will be implemented properly. The work has already found its pace in the district. But, the 250 families in Telkatapunji cannot think that far and have demanded a single water plant in the village.

One of the villagers said: "We heard once that a water plant was sanctioned for us, but later it was commissioned to another village."

The Deputy Commissioner of Hailakandi, Nisarg Hivare told IANS that he was informed by some of his officers about the issue and he would like to visit Telkatapunji to assess the actual situation.