Different parts of Tripura have been slipped into darkness and water crisis following Cyclone Remal’s devastation, with residents fuming over the situation and blaming the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Ltd (TSECL) for its inadequate response.
The frustration has boiled over into protests across the state, with villagers taking to the streets and criticizing Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath for the ongoing power woes.
The simmering discontent reached a boiling point in Bishalgarh Murabari, where residents locked down the power office after enduring five days without power. The protestors, desperate to speak with the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) regarding their plight, were left waiting till 1 PM with no responsible official available.
This blatant disregard for their concerns fueled their anger, leading them to lock the office. The villagers also voiced their harsh criticism of Power Minister Nath.
The power crisis isn’t confined to Bishalgarh. Similar demonstrations erupted in Dharmanagar (North Tripura District), Kailasahar and Kumarghat (Unakoti District).
In Dharmanagar, hundreds of residents from Ichailalchhara blocked the Dharmanagar-Kadamtala road for an entire day.
The protestors, left without electricity for four days, alleged that their pleas to the concerned department had fallen on deaf ears.
The lack of power also disrupted water supplies, forcing some residents to resort to using potentially unsafe sources. The agitation only subsided after assurances from the Kadamtala police station Officer-in-Charge regarding power restoration.
Kailasahar witnessed a different facet of the power struggle. Here, residents of Jarultali specifically targeted the private power service provider ‘Sai Computer Ltd.’
They accused the company of being responsible for the five-day power outage plaguing their village. The protestors further alleged that despite repeated complaints against Sai Computer, both the Power Minister and TSECL authorities had failed to take any concrete action.
The outrage wasn’t limited to peaceful protests. In Kumarghat (Unakoti District), enraged villagers ransacked the power department office after their repeated requests for power restoration went unanswered.
A similar incident unfolded in Kalyanpur, where residents of Murdhabasti blocked the Khowai-Teliamura road at Baganbazar. The protestors, both men and women, expressed their exasperation with TSECL and the department’s minister directly to District Magistrate Chandni Chanda, who happened to be passing through the area.
The District Magistrate intervened, summoning the TSECL Senior Manager and assuring the protestors of power restoration by the end of the day. Only after this assurance did the blockade finally come to an end.
These incidents are just a microcosm of the widespread discontent simmering across Tripura.
(Tripura, Tripura News)
