Families in Tripura village suffer as ONGC negligence deteriorates key road

Nearly a hundred tribal families in Man Chandrapara and Aptapara under East Kalabaria Gram Panchayat in Belonia subdivision of South Tripura district are reeling under hardship due to the alleged negligence of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) authorities, as the vital road connecting Maichhara Bazar to Aptapara Anganwadi Centre has turned nearly unusable.

Local residents allege that the continuous movement of heavy ONGC vehicles, particularly during the monsoon, has severely damaged the road, making it unfit even for pedestrians, let alone bicycles, two-wheelers, or larger vehicles. Despite repeated appeals to the ONGC authorities, no permanent measures have been taken.

“Even reaching the hospital with a sick patient or a pregnant woman has become a challenge,” said one local villager. The road serves as a crucial route for school students, farmers, and daily wage earners.

Following growing pressure from the residents, area head Sahadev Das intervened and convinced the ONGC authorities to begin temporary repairs using brick paving. However, the locals allege that ONGC is selectively repairing small patches sufficient only for their vehicles, ignoring the rest of the stretch.

Protesting this partial approach, the villagers halted the repair work, demanding full renovation of the road. Tension flared briefly as locals stood their ground.

Sahadev Das acknowledged the villagers’ concerns and said, “The work being done is not satisfactory. I’ve spoken to the locals, and we’ll take further steps accordingly.” He also mentioned that earlier repairs using a dredger were undone due to heavy vehicular movement during rains.

Das further informed that the Public Works Department (PWD) has floated a tender to permanently convert the entire stretch into a pitched road post-monsoon.