Agartala, April 23, 2025: Amid a growing crisis of electricity and drinking water, angry villagers from Chittamara Gram Panchayat under Belonia subdivision blocked the Belonia-Agartala road on Wednesday, demanding immediate government intervention.

The residents of Vaishnav Para in Chittamara in South Tripura district have been grappling with power outages and a lack of potable water for the past five days. “The entire village has plunged into darkness due to a damaged electricity transformer. Despite repeated complaints to the authorities, no action has been taken,” said a local resident while joining the protest.

Frustrated by the inaction, the villagers staged a road blockade, bringing traffic to a standstill as vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road. The protest drew immediate attention from the administration.

Block Development Officer Arijit Pal of Bharat Chandra Nagar Block, along with Panchayat Samiti Chairperson Putul Pal Biswas and officials from the Drinking Water and Sanitation (DWS) Department, rushed to the site. “We have heard the grievances of the people and assured them of swift action,” said Chairperson Putul Pal Biswas.

After an hour and thirty minutes of standoff, the blockade was lifted following assurances from the visiting officials. However, villagers expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of any representative from the Electricity Department at the protest site. “It’s shocking that no official from the electricity department even showed up. It shows how serious they are about our plight,” remarked another protestor.