Agartala: June 29: A severe drinking water crisis at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Kherenjuri, under the Churaibari police station jurisdiction, sparked a major protest on Sunday as students and their guardians blocked National Highway-8 demanding urgent government intervention.
Students of the centrally-run residential school have reportedly been struggling with an acute shortage of potable water, as well as water for bathing and daily use, for an extended period. Despite repeated complaints to the school administration, the issue remained unresolved, prompting growing frustration among students and their families.
According to sources, the school’s water supply is meant to be sourced from the Drinking Water and Sanitation (DWS) Department’s reserve tank at Churaibari. However, pipeline supply has been irregular and disrupted for unknown reasons, worsening the situation.
The institution accommodates over 500 students and requires thousands of litres of water daily for basic needs. As conditions deteriorated, concerned parents rushed to the school premises on Sunday—despite it being a holiday—and staged a demonstration by blocking NH-8, the critical highway linking Tripura with Assam.
Protesters demanded an immediate and sustainable solution to the water scarcity issue and questioned the inaction of concerned departments despite repeated alerts.
The school principal acknowledged the ongoing water crisis and expressed concern for student welfare.
The demonstrators have called for the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department to take urgent steps to restore uninterrupted water supply to the school and prevent such crises in the future.
