Agartala, September 9: In a dramatic display of frustration, residents of Vivekananda Abasan, a government residential complex in Agartala, blocked the VIP road on Monday during busy office hours, demanding the resumption of water supply via pipelines—a service that had been halted for several years.
The protest caused widespread disruption as the road connects several crucial areas, including the Secretariat, Assembly, High Court, airport, and important offices in Tripura’s capital, as well as districts like Khowai, North, and Unakoti.
A significant number of the protesters were women and children, highlighting the level of inconvenience experienced by residents, many of whom are elderly or in poor health.
They complained of being forced to carry water to their homes, some as high as the fourth floor, which has become a physically taxing daily routine.
The protest occurred near the Tripura Industrial Development Corporation, leading to severe traffic congestion, with hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides of the road.
Local officials, including representatives from the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) and area Corporators, rushed to the scene to defuse the situation, but the protesters refused to withdraw.
The situation was finally resolved after more than an hour, when Additional Municipal Commissioner Muhammad Sajjad P. arrived on the Mayor’s behalf and provided a written assurance that water supply would be restored within next ten days.
According to Sajjad, due to the election process the process of tendering for the work got delayed.
However, he confirmed that the work order has now been issued and efforts to resume supply are currently underway. In the interim, AMC has agreed to provide free water tankers to the residential complex, which houses families relocated from the GB and surrounding areas a decade ago.
The residents withdrew the roadblock following this commitment, offering a temporary respite from the tense situation. However, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing infrastructure challenges in government housing complexes and the need for timely resolution of basic service disruptions.
