Siliguri, 16ht June: The Baribhasha VIP road has been lying in a deplorable condition for a very long time. The situation worsened after last night’s heavy rainfall. A huge reservoir-like pothole has been formed on the road with a deep water pool. The locals have been demanding the repair of the road by protesting and staging road blockades over the past several months. They allege that their demands fall on deaf ears of the administration, hence, on Thursday, the locals took a unique step to get their message straight.
The locals threw water hyacinth (floating plants found in water bodies) into the flooded pothole and were spotted fishing in the middle of the road. They demanded the administration to repair the road at the earliest.
It is to be noted, locals had blocked the road on May 24 in demand for road construction. The police administration had promised to build the road within 15 days. Allegedly, even after the time limit lapsed, the road was not repaired. Following this, the local people again blocked the road today protesting the negligence of the authority.
On the other hand, upon receiving the news, the officials of NJP police station and the traffic department reached the spot. The police brought the situation under control by talking to the local people. Later, the locals lifted the blockade. However, they continued to protest the administration for ignoring their demands for such a long time. They stated that many people commute through the VIP Road every day. However, the road has been lying in a miserable condition for over four year. As a result, people are facing extreme difficulties and accidents have become frequent. The locals accused the administration of not taking any initiative to repair the road.