Due to the precarious condition of the road from the old Dak Bungalow in Kailashahar to Rangauti, the road has reportedly become impassable. As a result, small and large accidents occur daily on this road, locals alleged and added, despite repeated written and verbal requests to the local administration by drivers and local residents, the road has not been repaired.
Irked at the unresponsive attitude of the administration, villagers and drivers were forced to block the road at Kubjhar and stage a protest on Wednesday.
Hundreds of daily commuters, including school students, were stranded due to the road blockade. Many vehicles were also stuck on both sides of the blockade. A large police force and TSR forces from Kailashahar police station were deployed at the blockade site. The protesters burned tires and demonstrated at the blockade site. There was a lot of tension at the blockade site.
It should be noted that this road from the old Dak Bungalow in Kailashahar town to Rangauti is the only way for people in the northern part of the town to come to Kailshahar town. About 25,000 people from 13 gram panchayats depend on this road. This road has been impassable for a long time. After repeated agitations by various political parties and social organizations to repair this road, the work on this road finally started on paper under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in 2021, but the actual work started in late 2022 and was completed in mid-2023.
The protesters alleged that the work was done with very poor quality from the beginning of the road construction. Even more shockingly, the construction company laid this road with cold bitumen in the dark of night without anyone’s knowledge.
As a result, the road broke down within a year of completion and became impassable. Small and large accidents occur on this road every day. Incredibly, the condition of the road is so bad that pregnant women are giving birth in vehicles while being taken to the hospital on this road, the protesters said. Even after all this, the administration is indifferent. There is no action from the administration.
The protesters, angry with the administration, further said that even after repeated written and verbal requests to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, District Magistrate, and Public Works Department officials on behalf of the villagers, and even after deputations, the administration has not taken any action.
Under pressure from the villagers, officials from the department visited the site a week before Durga Puja this year and inspected the actual condition of the road. During the inspection, the villagers surrounded the officials and asked when the work on the road would start. The officials then said that the work on the road would start after Durga Puja. After getting this assurance, the officials were released from the siege at that time. But even after Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja, and Kali Puja were over, the work on the road did not start. So, the villagers blocked the road today,
Later, a team from the department led by the Superintendent Engineer of the Kumar Ghat Circle of the Public Works Department, M. Debnath, came to the blockade site and sat down for talks with the protesters. They said that the work on this road would start from the last week of this month and they had already informed the Chief Engineer of the state department today through a letter. After getting this assurance, the protesters lifted the blockade at around 4:30 pm.
(Tripura, Northeast)