Dharmanagar: Dec 05. In a dilapidated hut in Ward No. 4 of Panisagar Nagar Panchayat, a harsh reality takes place. An elderly mother, her teenage daughter, and two brothers Kartik Sutradhar and Nibas Sutradhar live in conditions that defy basic human dignity. Both brothers are 100% physically disabled since birth, unable to walk, stand, or move independently.
Their suffering is compounded by tragedy. Another brother, also fully disabled, died in 2022 at the age of just 24, after years of waiting for government support that never arrived. The surviving brothers now spend each day in silent anticipation of death, as their pleas for help remain unanswered.
Authorities, including the Tripura government, local BJP leaders, and the BJP Divyangjan Cell’s state convener Rajib Ghosh, had once shown sympathy by allowing the family to reside on government land. Yet, in reality, their lives remain unchanged. They have no permanent shelter, no toilet, and no bathing facilities.
For over four decades, the family has endured extreme hardship—beds soaked during monsoons, bone-chilling winters, and scorching summers. With no toilet, the elderly mother and teenage daughter are forced to relieve themselves in nearby forests, stripped of privacy and dignity.
Repeated appeals to the District Magistrate (DM), Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Revenue Department, Tehsil Office, and Nagar Panchayat have yielded only promises. Last year, Kartick and Nibas personally met the DM, submitting written and oral accounts of their plight. Their application was reportedly approved, with officials assuring them that only the local MLA’s signature was pending before land allotment and immediate provision of a government house and toilet.
However, within weeks, Panisagar administration shifted its stance, citing conflicting claims—that the land fell under PWT, Border Road, or Noyonjalika project. One excuse after another stalled the allotment, leaving the brothers trapped in bureaucratic limbo.
Kartik voiced his anguish: “I am 100% disabled, yet I have not received even a toilet. I have no place to bathe. For three years, I have not been able to bathe. Do we not have the right to at least a toilet and bathing space?”
The family’s ordeal highlights a glaring failure of governance. Activists argue that the time has come for direct intervention by Tripura’s Chief Minister—not merely as an act of compassion, but as a constitutional responsibility to uphold the rights of the state’s most vulnerable citizens.
