Lok Sabha elections 2024: Parched Solapur village furious with all political parties

Satish Narote a villager must walk around a kilometre to get water from the well. Pics/Nimesh Dave

Villagers of Halchinchali in Solapur district are upset with all political parties. The village lacks motorable roads and despite having a large holding pond, it remains dry in the summer with villagers having to walk more than a kilometer every day to fetch water.

"We have tap connections, but no water. For the past four years, villagers have been walking for over a kilometer just to fetch water as our own 83-hectare holding pond is dry during the summer. There is a need to raise the boundary walls of the pond and make provisions for storage. When in good condition, the pond also provides water to Akkalkot city.

Roads in the village were repaired 15 years ago and now one cannot even drive a vehicle on it," said Shreeshel Madhale, sarpanch of the village. Approaching the elected representatives has not yielded results. "We have met MPs and MLAs from all parties, but no one has been able to solve our problem of water supply during the summer," he said.

Villagers have to scale down the well if there is no electricity

"Resources are taken from our village to the city. But our villages remain neglected. We neither have good roads nor enough water for drinking in summer. This problem has existed for the last five years. But no one is looking at it seriously. Raising the boundary wall of the pond will increase the storage of water, so we don't suffer in summer," Manav Ghodke, former Gram Panchayat member, said.

"We are now managing by fetching water from private wells and in their absence God knows what situation the villagers would have to face. The population of the village is around 2,400 but no one has been able to solve even our basic needs," villager Sharanappa Bansode said.

"There are around nine members in my family. We need to engage at least one person to bring water from the well. We have no option as there is no alternative resource available in our village," villager Khajedduin Golandaj said. Another villager Satish Narote, said, "We are just a few kilometres away from the city and the government needs to solve our problems as our daily life is a struggle."

15 yrs
Since the roads were last repaired