Residents Block Road Protesting Dust Pollution from Bypass Construction
Residents of South Pulinpur under Teliāmurā Police Station blocked a road on Monday evening to protest severe dust pollution caused by ongoing construction of the Sabroom-bound bypass road linked to the Khowai–Subroom National Highway. Heavy vehicle movement on the unfinished road and the suspension of water sprinkling for the past 15 days led to health issues, including respiratory problems. After officials from the sub-divisional administration and police intervened, NSDCL authorities assured twice-daily water sprinkling. Following the assurance, the residents lifted the blockade and normalcy was restored.
NETB24
Teliāmurā:
Residents of South Pulinpur under Teliāmurā Police Station staged a road blockade on Monday evening, protesting against severe dust pollution caused by ongoing construction work on the Sabroom-bound bypass road connected to the Khowai–Subroom National Highway.
According to local sources, construction work on the bypass road has been underway for the past several months. However, heavy movement of vehicles on the unfinished road has led to excessive dust, causing immense hardship to commuters and nearby residents. Locals alleged that although the contractor of NSDCL had initially arranged regular water sprinkling to reduce dust and inconvenience to the public, the practice has been completely stopped for the last 15 days.
As a result, people living on both sides of the road have been suffering from respiratory distress and other health-related problems due to continuous exposure to dust. Left with no alternative, angry residents sat on the road and began a blockade on Monday evening.
Upon receiving information, officials from the Teliāmurā Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s office, including DCM Sandeep Debbarma, along with police from Teliāmurā Police Station, rushed to the spot. Meanwhile, ADC EM Kamal Kalai, who was also stranded due to the blockade, interacted with the protesting residents.
Following administrative intervention and assurance from NSDCL authorities that water would be sprinkled on the road twice daily, the residents withdrew the blockade. The situation later returned to normal.
