Guwahati: Over 200 voters in Sonamura Nagar Panchayat’s Ward 3 of Tripura have threatened to boycott the election until and unless they receive access to drinking water, a road and power as Tripura prepares for the Assembly elections.
Sonamura is located in the Sepahijala district where the majority of the population comes from a small Muslim group close to the Indo-Bangladesh border.
The villagers have spoken to media and expressed their rage, saying they will boycott the election since they haven’t had access to proper drinking water, a road or electricity for the past five years.
“When the vote come they promised us road, water, houses, electricity and so many things but after the vote, they forgot us. It’s been five years since we don’t have a road to communicate. We have to travel long to collect drinking water. How even this is possible?” an agitator said.
While another protester stated that they had met with the local civil administration, outlining the problems they had been having for many years and that the civil administration officials had promised to meet our demands but had never come to the location.
“We have again and again knocked on the door of the administration but no one listened to us. If you see we have no road to communicate. We use a small narrow lane and have to cross other houses for communication purposes. If we don’t get a road how we will communicate and how we will go for a vote? It’s better not to cast vote”, said another agitator.
According to the villagers, “It has been five years that the government is assuring us that they will solve our problems but where are they now? Nobody is looking into us. They don’t have fund issues. They just come give assurance and leave. We will not go to polling stations until and unless we get road, water, and electricity”.