Massive Water Crisis Sparks Student Uprising: Navodaya School Students and Guardians Block National Highway in Protest
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, June 29, 2025
In a stark reflection of the ongoing water crisis in Tripura, students and guardians of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kherengjuri, under North Tripura on Sunday staged a road blockade on National Highway-8 , the crucial Assam-Tripura connecting route, demanding immediate access to potable water. The protest underscores the severe water shortages plaguing even government run schools across the state.
Despite large-scale expenditures under the BJP-led state government's earlier financial years, the promise of pipeline water to every household by 2022, a key public welfare target has failed to materialize in many areas. Allegations of widespread corruption in the implementation phase have left the ambitious water supply schemes crippled, with both urban and rural regions continuing to suffer.
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, which houses nearly 500 students, has been reeling under acute water scarcity for an extended period. According to the students, repeated complaints to the school principal have yielded no permanent solution. While the school used to receive water from the DWS (Drinking Water and Sanitation) department’s Churaibari-based reservoir, that pipeline supply has mysteriously stopped.
On Sunday, despite being a holiday, guardians joined hands with the students in a strong show of solidarity. Together, they staged a sit-in protest, blocking the national highway and raising slogans demanding immediate restoration of drinking water supply. The demonstrators stated that thousands of litres of water are required daily for both drinking and hygiene purposes, but the school has been left to cope without a basic necessity.
The blockade significantly disrupted vehicular movement along NH-8, triggering wider concerns. Protesters warned that unless the local administration steps in with a permanent solution, they will be compelled to launch a larger statewide movement.
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