WB polls: Last villages at Indo-Bangladesh border demand pending ST cards, water supply

The last village at the India - Bangladesh border in West Bengal's Nadia district along with its two neighbouring villages is demanding the long-pending Schedule Tribe card this election season.

The residents of the village had appealed to the local administration several times but all in vain.

In return villagers were told to prove their 'Mahato identity by birth.

Schedule Tribe card is not the only thing villagers of New Shikarpur, and neighbouring villages, Raninagar and Dohokola lack.

Water is second in line, although the village has several tubewells but most of them don't' work.

They are forced to pay Rs.

10 for each barrel of drinking water which is a pain on the finances of families.

Karimpur, the constituency under which the villages come, will go to polls on April 22 in the sixth and last phase.