Agartala, May 11: Protesting against prolonged drinking water scarcity and poor electricity services, local residents on Monday blocked the Assam-Agartala National Highway at Chakmaghat Purba Bazar under the 29 Krishnapur Assembly constituency in Teliamura sub-division, severely disrupting vehicular movement for nearly two hours.
The agitators alleged that people in the area have been suffering for a long time due to the lack of basic civic amenities, particularly drinking water and uninterrupted electricity supply. According to the protesters, the locality has been facing an acute water crisis for an extended period, forcing many families to fetch water from distant areas for daily use.
Residents also expressed frustration over the deteriorating electricity services in the region. Frequent power cuts, low-voltage problems, and prolonged darkness during nighttime have reportedly caused widespread inconvenience and growing resentment among the public.
Villagers claimed that despite repeatedly informing the concerned government departments and local public representatives about the crisis, no effective initiative had been taken to provide a permanent solution. Protesters further alleged that several promises were made during election campaigns regarding improvement of civic amenities, but those assurances remained unfulfilled.
Left with no alternative, the residents said they decided to launch the highway blockade to draw the attention of the administration to their grievances. The protest caused massive traffic congestion on both sides of the busy national highway, with passenger vehicles and trucks carrying essential commodities remaining stranded for hours.
Following the blockade, personnel from Teliamura Police and officials of the sub-divisional administration rushed to the spot to control the situation and hold discussions with the protesters.
During the agitation, a section of the demonstrators also voiced strong resentment against the local MLA, who is also a member of the state cabinet. They accused both the administration and elected representatives of remaining indifferent to the basic problems faced by the people of the area.
The protest was finally withdrawn after nearly two hours when officials from the administration assured the agitators that necessary measures would be taken at the earliest to resolve the drinking water and electricity-related issues. However, residents warned that stronger protests may follow if immediate action is not taken.
