'Matkas Ran Out Of Water,' Visitors Slam Poor Water Arrangements At Public Hearing In Chhatarpur As Temperatures Soar Upto 47°Celsius

Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh): A public hearing organised in Chhatarpur on Tuesday, drew criticisim from participants for the alleged poor arrangements. Visitors complained that the Collectorate lacked even basic facilities like drinking water at the time when the temoperatures soared upto 47 degrees Celsius.

Visitors, who reached the Collectorate for the public hearing, from nearby villages were forced to wander from place to place in search of water, while many had to spend their own money to purchase water from outside sources.

The visitors said that earthen pots (matkas) were placed at various spots within the District Panchayat complex—where the public hearing was being held, however most of them were found to be empty. Visitors stated that the pots had been filled with water in the morning; however, as the crowd grew, the pots were emptied out, and no arrangements were made to refill them. Consequently, people who had been sitting for hours waiting to present their grievances faced severe hardship.

Visitors attending the public hearing slammed the officials over poor arrangements. They argued that hundreds of people from across the district travel long distances to reach the headquarters every Tuesday for public hearings, however the administration has turned a deaf ear.

On the contrary, stainless steel water bottles were placed on tables of the officials at the collectorate.

Advocate Abhilekh Khare, who was present at the hearing, expressed disappointment over the poor arrangements at the collectorate. He said that people from remote villages—located over 100 kilometers away—travel all the way to the district headquarters to get their problems resolved. If even drinking water is not made available to them, they are left with no choice but to purchase it from outside sources. He noted that while the administration claims to have made arrangements to protect people from the heat and provide alternative facilities, the very Collectorate premises—under their direct control—lack even the most fundamental amenities.

When questioned about the matter, the Tehsildar present at the public hearing stated, "Perhaps a larger-than-usual crowd turned up for the hearing today, due to which the pots ran empty. We will issue instructions to have them refilled immediately."