By TC News Desk
Agartala, 23rd April 2025:Frustrated by five days of power outage and acute drinking water shortage, residents of Vaishnav Para under Chittamara Gram Panchayat in the Belonia subdivision took to the streets on Wednesday, blocking the busy Belonia-Agartala road in protest.
According to sources, the entire Baishnav Para area has been reeling under a complete blackout due to a faulty electricity transformer, leaving the village in darkness for nearly a week.
Compounding their woes, the area has also been suffering from a persistent drinking water crisis. Despite repeated complaints to the local panchayat authorities, no concrete action was taken, pushing the villagers to resort to a road blockade as a last resort.
The blockade, which started in the afternoon, brought traffic to a standstill, leaving vehicles stranded on both sides of the arterial road. The impasse continued for over an hour before senior administrative officials intervened.
Arijit Pal, Community Development Officer of Belonia Bharat Chandra Nagar Block, and Putul Pal Biswas, Chairperson of the Panchayat Samiti, arrived at the spot along with officials from the Drinking Water and Sanitation (DWS) department. Following their assurance of prompt action, the protesters agreed to lift the blockade after about one and a half hours.
Interestingly, while officials from the DWS department were seen engaging with the protestors, no representative from the Electricity Department was present at the scene—a fact that did not go unnoticed by the agitating locals.
Residents have warned of intensified protests if their demands are not addressed within the promised timeframe.
