About the Video: As the hillside city of Solan in Himachal Pradesh expands and spills its seams, oldtime residents of towns and villages on the immediate outskirts are starting to feel the pinch. The village of Kotigaon is a small village of less than 300 inhabitants who have lived in their neighbourhoods for many generations. The past few years have been unkind to these families. The growing population of Solan, the establishment of newer colonies and villages along the same hillside and the inability of the authorities to keep up with the rising demand, has left the village parched and the villagers without regular water supply. This past summer was especially dry. The villagers are tired of complaining into deaf ear of the government. “One fine day the government turned the other cheek and lo and behold, the ear was as deaf, if not deafer, as the other.”

Community Correspondent says: Community Correspondent Avdesh Negi belongs to the generation that has closely witnessed and intimately experienced how the town of Solan turned into a city and is now in the unwieldy process of growing into a monster that cannot seem to contain itself. He has friends in Kotigaon who are now angry at the authorities’ refusal to pay heed to the urgent issue of water. “Kotigaon is an old settlement,” he says. “When they see that newer settlements are getting more facilities and water supply than they are, they obviously feel discontent. And when the government refuses to respond to their complaints, their frustrations reach newer levels.”

Call to Action: Avdesh urges the viewers to call or sms the Water Department in charge of Kotigaon village at 0 9418026241 and tell them that ‘I have seen a video regarding the water issues of Kotigaon village in Solan District. I request you to personally look into the issue.’