By IANS
Ranchi : Two sisters in Jharkhand have set an example for the government and male-dominated society by digging a well in their village plagued by water scarcity.
Hazra Banu and Rabia, residents of Peshgarha village, about 230 km from Ranchi, dug the well after the Giridih district administration failed to respond to their repeated requests for a drinking water source.
There are very few hand pumps or wells in Peshgarha, forcing villagers to drink polluted water from nearby ponds. But no one supported the sisters, who are in their 20s, when they decided to dig the well.
“We approached the district administration and local leaders to get hand pumps installed in the village. We decided to dig the well when our requests went unheard. We have dug more than 15 feet and the digging will be completed in another week’s time,” Hazra Banu said Wednesday.
The sisters, who live alone, have been toiling since November but no one lent them a helping hand. Now that the well is almost complete, villagers and politicians are praising them.
Former rural development minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Chandra Mohan Prasad visited the village and assured the sisters of all help from the district administration.
“It doesn’t matter whether we get support or not. We will complete the well and get water for the villagers to bring smiles on their faces,” said Rabia.
Mohammad Samim, a resident of Peshgarha village, said: “The hard work of both women is an example for the youths who while away their time in playing cards and have made no efforts to get drinking water for the villagers.”