Khanapuram Haveli sarpanch Buggaveeti Sarala has launched an indefinite hunger strike along with six other panchayat members, demanding funds for a drinking water project in the village, Andhra Pradesh. The project has been a long-standing demand of the villagers who are now forced to consume fluoride-affected water. Ms Sarala said that they had been agitating for the project for the last six years, but the government had not responded to the demand so far. A memorandum with 8,000 signatures had been submitted to the district collector on September 28 seeking release of funds before October 2.