No Water, No Clean-Up, Only Taxes: Kumarghat’s Ward 12 Decry Neglect
Kumarghat (Tripura), Aug 26: Residents of Sardapalli Ward 12, under the Kumarghat Municipal Council in Unakoti district of Tripura, are grappling with severe civic neglect, despite the state’s much-touted narrative of progress under “double engine” governance.
The area, home to over 30 families, lacks basic infrastructure, including proper roads, reliable drinking water, and regular garbage collection, leaving locals frustrated and disillusioned.
The absence of paved roads has rendered the ward inaccessible to vehicles, forcing residents to navigate muddy, waterlogged paths, especially during the monsoon.
Niranjan Deb, a local resident, described the dire situation and alleged, “Rain turns our roads into swamps. For years, we’ve faced immense hardship just moving around.” Recently, the municipal council attempted to address the issue by dumping soil to elevate the road. However, without proper drainage systems, this has worsened conditions, with rainwater now flooding homes.
“The soil wasn’t even spread across the entire road,” Deb added, noting that residents had previously pooled personal funds to construct a basic thoroughfare. The lack of proper roads has far-reaching consequences.
Pratima Pal, another resident, criticized the council’s haphazard approach to roadwork. “The soil was dumped without proper planning. Now, rainwater floods our homes,” she said.
Purabi Dey, another resident, recounted a distressing incident involving her son’s illness. She claimed, “With no vehicles able to enter, we had to carry him out on our shoulders for medical help.” She emphasized that this has been a persistent issue for 22 years, with the municipal council offering little beyond empty promises.
Compounding the residents’ woes is the absence of drinking water for the past six months. Despite this, the municipal council continues to collect monthly taxes for water and sanitation services that are rarely provided. Garbage collection is equally neglected, yet residents face penalties if they fail to pay these taxes.
“If we don’t pay, we’re harassed when we visit the municipal office for other needs,” Dey alleged.
Aggrieved residents claimed they have repeatedly raised these concerns with the authorities, however, they alleged their pleas have gone unanswered, fueling accusations of administrative apathy.
Residents, forced to fund their own roads and endure months without basic services, feel abandoned. “If this is the state of a municipal area, one can only imagine the conditions in rural or hilly regions,” Niranjan Deb remarked.
The Kumarghat Municipal Council’s alleged inaction has drawn sharp criticism, with locals likening its indifference to the mythical Dhritarashtra, who turned a blind eye to injustice.
As residents continue to pay taxes for non-existent services, their frustration underscores a broader disconnect between the state’s development rhetoric and the ground reality.
