By TC News Desk
Agartala, 16th July 2026: A police case has been registered after the Executive Engineer of Tripura’s Water Resources Department allegedly received a death threat while attempting to initiate urgent embankment repair work along the Manu River in Unakoti district.
The incident took place in the Latiyapura Gram Panchayat area under Gournagar Block, along the India-Bangladesh international border, where emergency repair work was planned to prevent further erosion of the flood-damaged embankment.
Executive Engineer Ranojoy Debbarma alleged that when he, along with his technical team, visited the site to hand over the work to contractors assigned for the emergency repairs, they were obstructed by a group of agitated local youths. The officials and contractors were allegedly abused, and Debbarma claimed that he was issued a death threat, forcing the entire team to leave the site without commencing the work.
According to the Executive Engineer, reports of severe erosion between gates 58 and 59 of the Manu River were received on July 9. After inspecting the site, he informed the Chief Engineer, who directed that the repair work be completed on an urgent basis within two days. Initially, the work was proposed to be awarded to three contractors, but the decision was revised following local objections. Subsequently, on the instructions of the Chief Engineer, the work was divided among four contractors, and formal work orders were issued.
Taking serious note of the incident, Unakoti District Magistrate Megha Jain (IAS) informed that the work had already been redistributed among four contractors to resolve the dispute. She also wrote to the Superintendent of Police, stating that obstruction had been created in a crucial government task related to disaster management and directed that strict legal action be initiated against those responsible while ensuring the safety of the Executive Engineer and his technical team.
Following the directive, Irani Police Station registered Case No. 2026IRN034 dated July 15, 2026, under Sections 221, 224, 351(8), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 51(a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Inspector Bikash Das has been entrusted with the investigation.
Meanwhile, concern is mounting among local residents, who argue that disputes involving contractors should not jeopardize the safety of thousands of people living near the embankment. They warned that the Manu River continues to carry a substantial volume of water and that any further breach could lead to severe flooding.
Demanding immediate action, several residents urged the government to entrust the embankment repair work to the Army or another central agency to ensure its timely completion. The district administration is maintaining close surveillance over the situation while taking steps to ensure that repair work begins without further delay and that no additional obstruction hampers the flood protection measures.
