KOCHI: Residents of Cheranellore panchayat observed a 12-hour-long hartal on Thursday. It was observed to mark a protest against the way police dealt with the members of the panchayat who protested the dearth of water here. The hartal ended with a protest march against the Kerala Water Authority and the police officials held by various political parties. Panchayat president Suresh Babu, who was beaten up by the police, said, “The police ill-treated us. We were only observing a silent fast at KWA office when the police suddenly took us into custody. The protest was for a legal cause.”Suresh along with five others were admitted at the General Hospital in Kochi. According to them, the panchayat has been suffering from acute water shortage for the past six months. Suresh said that the authorities have not done anything to resolve the issue. “The people are forced to draw water from Eloor which is far. We go in boats to fetch water. We will continue to be on strike unless something is done,” he added.Meanwhile, KWA superintending engineer Vanaja said, “It is true that there is a huge shortage in the area, especially since it is the last area for water supply.We are taking measures in this regard. But for the moment, the people are simply creating all the fuss. They have not given us 24 hours to supply water since they complained. By then, they had charged into the office and started hurling abuses at us,” she added.
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