More than 100 residents of Balurghat’s wards 9 and 10 blocked a road near Yubashree More on Thursday, demanding immediate repairs to a nearly 1km stretch and a functioning drainage system after repeated waterlogging disrupted movement in the low-lying civic area.
The blockade began around 11am on the road between Yubashree More and Namabangi School. Residents said the stretch has remained in poor condition for a long time, with large potholes, a worn-out bitumen surface and exposed sand and stones creating difficulties for daily commuters.
They also said even light rainfall leaves parts of the road under knee-deep water because the drainage system does not clear water quickly. Schoolchildren, elderly residents and patients were among those most affected, according to protesters.
“The situation worsens even after light rainfall, when knee-deep water accumulates on the road and takes a lot of time to drain. Schoolchildren, elderly people and patients are particularly affected,” protester Bandana Ghosh said, according to a report by Telegraph India – West Bengal.
Another resident, Bhajan Saha, said residents had repeatedly approached the local civic body for road repairs and drainage improvements but had received no effective action. He said temporary patchwork would not address the problem and demanded repairs across the entire stretch from Yubashree More to Namabangi School.
“We informed our local councillor, but received nothing beyond assurances. We were left with no option but to stage the road blockade,” Saha said.
A police team led by Sumanta Biswas, officer-in-charge of Balurghat police station, reached the location after the blockade began. The protest was lifted after about an hour following police intervention, and traffic gradually returned to normal.
Surajit Saha, chair of Balurghat’s Trinamool-run civic board, said ₹67 lakh had been sanctioned for repairing the road and that a work order had already been issued to an agency. He said the work was scheduled to begin after Bhai Phonta.
According to Saha, residents had objected to starting construction between Durga Puja and Kali Puja because of the possibility of traffic snarls during the festive period. The civic board chair also alleged that some people were attempting to gain political mileage through the protest ahead of the civic polls. That claim was not independently assessed in the report.
The dispute now centres on when the sanctioned work will begin and whether the project will address both the damaged road surface and the drainage failure. Residents have called for the complete stretch to be repaired rather than receiving temporary road fixes, while the civic board has indicated that implementation is planned after Bhai Phonta.
