Kailashahar, Feb 15, 2025, TRIPURATIMES Desk

Kailashahar, Feb 15:  A protest on the national highway forced the authorities to supply drinking water to a village on Saturday. 

A group of people from Dolucherra in Kailashahar staged a protest by blocking National Highway on Saturday afternoon, demanding a permanent solution to their drinking water crisis.

The blockade on Kailashahar- Dharmanagar national highway caused disruption in traffic, leaving a good number of vehicles stranded on both sides of the road and causing inconvenience to commuters.

Dolucherra, located in Ward No. 4 of Bhagaban Nagar Gram Panchayat, houses around 70 families.

The area has been suffering from a severe drinking water shortage for a long time. The village lacks basic water facilities such as deep tube wells, pump machines, ring wells, or even a concrete well.

According to the villagers, the authorities do not regularly supply drinking water through tankers, and when they do, the quantity is insufficient. In some cases, water is provided only once a week or even once in every 15 days.

In such a situation, a stream is the only source of water in the village. However, with the stream drying up recently, the situation has worsened, leading to the agitation.

In response, the villagers on Saturday blocked the national highway, demanding immediate action from the authorities.

Executive Engineer of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department Nirmal Chandra Biswas along with other officials arrived at the scene and heard villagers’ grievances. The officials assured them that water would be supplied to the village on a regular basis.

After the assurance, the protesters withdrew the blockade. Soon after the protest, water tankers arrived in the village.