Slum-dwellers, under the banners of Slum Janandalona and Jilla Kolageri Nivasigala Okkuta, on Tuesday lodged a protest against the move to privatise distribution of drinking water in urban areas, demanding that the Government stop the maintenance and distribution of drinking water by private agencies working on pilot basis. Procession The protesters, led by the convener of the Slum Janandalona, Allamprabhu Nimbarga, took out a procession and formed a human chain outside the Vikasa Soudha complex before staging a demonstration outside the Deputy Commissioner's office. Mr. Nimbarga said that the Government immediately cancel the maintenance and distribution contract given to the France-based company to supply water round the clock to 11 wards here on a pilot project. Initially, the company had promised that the drinking water supplied would be cheap, but later the rates were increased abnormally, he said. Taps removed They had also removed public taps, which were the source of drinking water for slum-dwellers. They now had to walk one to two km to fetch drinking water. He said the Government should withdraw from the proposed World Water Meet in Bangalore and express its opposition to the privatisation of drinking water.