Agartala, November 30:
In a powerful display of frustration and symbolic protest, women placed empty pitchers on the road and blocked the crucial Agartala–Dharmanagar route on Sunday. The blockade occurred near the Lalchara Lohar Gate area under Kadamtala police station in North Tripura district, disrupting a vital corridor that also connects Tripura with neighbouring Assam.
Residents of Ward No. 4 of Bishnupur have reportedly been struggling with a severe drinking water crisis for the past two to three months. According to the protesting women, despite repeated appeals to the local panchayat and administrative authorities, no steps were taken to resolve the issue. Left with no choice, the villagers—mostly women—took to the streets, placing empty pitchers as a symbol of their prolonged suffering and demanding immediate restoration of water supply.
Protesters alleged that they have been deprived of drinking water for over two months and are forced to fetch water from distant locations, a task especially difficult for women with small children. They said that their continued pleas for help were ignored, leading them to resort to blocking the highway as a last option to draw attention to their plight.
Police personnel from Kadamtala police station quickly arrived at the scene and attempted to persuade the protesters to lift the blockade, but were unsuccessful. The deadlock continued until Kadamtala Panchayat Samiti Chairman Mihir Ranjan Nath reached the site and initiated dialogue with the agitating villagers in an effort to address their concerns.
Meanwhile, the road blockade caused significant inconvenience to commuters, with long queues of vehicles forming on both sides of the highway. The disruption highlighted not just the immediate water crisis but also the pressing need for responsive local governance and timely solutions to basic public grievances.
