Students of a lower primary school in Tripura's tribal-dominated South Tripura district are reportedly struggling with basic facilities, including safe drinking water, sanitation, classrooms and road connectivity, highlighting persistent infrastructure challenges in remote rural areas.

The Purna Joy Riangpara Lower Basic School in the Gaddang area under Shantirbazar subdivision has been facing the problems for years, according to local residents. The school caters to students from Classes I to V, but residents allege that adequate drinking water is currently unavailable on the campus.

Locals said a hand pump or water supply facility had been available earlier but is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of students and teachers. The school toilet has also reportedly remained unhygienic, raising concerns over sanitation and the health of children.

The school is further constrained by inadequate infrastructure, with classes reportedly being conducted in a single room and only two teachers available to teach the students, according to local sources.

The water crisis is not confined to the school. Residents of Purna Joy Riangpara said several families are also struggling to access safe drinking water and, in some cases, are being forced to purchase water to meet their daily needs.

Connectivity has emerged as another major concern. Villagers alleged that roads leading to the area have remained in poor condition for years, making it difficult for children to travel to school and creating additional hardships for residents. The poor road network also reportedly poses problems when critically ill patients need to be transported to hospitals.

Nandlal Tripura, who donated land for the school, expressed disappointment over what he described as the lack of visible development in the area. He alleged that residents have continued to face basic infrastructure problems despite repeated demands for improvement and claimed that they had not received adequate support from elected representatives since 2018.

Residents have now renewed their appeal to the government to urgently address the drinking water crisis, improve sanitation and school infrastructure, and repair the roads connecting the village.

They have also urged Shantirbazar MLA Pramod Riang and other elected representatives to visit the area and assess the situation on the ground.

With education, drinking water, sanitation and road connectivity all emerging as interconnected concerns, residents have appealed to Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha for immediate intervention and sought time-bound measures to improve living conditions in the remote village.

The situation has also prompted questions among locals over the implementation of development assurances made during elections, particularly in remote tribal areas where access to basic public infrastructure remains a persistent challenge.