Sindhupalchowk, May 13:

Maoist cadres recently cut off pipeline supplying water to Ward No 8 in Nawalpur VDC as an action against the villagers there for not voting for the party in the Constituent Assembly election and for denying to give donation to the party.

The locals have filed a complaint at the district administration office seeking punishment for the guilty.

The Maoist action has affected over 45 households in the village. Maoist cadres Jatan Lama and Temba Lama cut off the pipelines that were supplying water from the Singpalkavre VDC to Nawalpur since 1982, locals alleged.

In an interaction with the members of the Sindhupalchowk Federation of Journalists, the villagers quoted Maoists as saying: “Go and seek help from the CPN-UML for which you have voted. You cannot have water from our village.”

The villagers have asked the journalists, human rights activists and other government and non-government offices to help solve their problem.

Former ward chairman of the Nawalpur village development committee Ward No 8 Suna Lama said they had rebuilt the pipeline after it was severed once but the Maoists later warned not to do so again.

CPN-UML district member Bujhung Lama alleged that the Maoist cadre involved in the incident was the Maoists’ Singpalkavre village secretary.

The village is reeling under water shortage after the pipeline was cut, said a local Gyan Bahadur Lama, adding that the villagers are fetching water from a source one kilometre away.

CPN-Maoist district leader Subodh claimed that the water supply was stopped not for any political reason but because of the conflict between the two villages.