Discontent over poor road conditions spilled onto the streets on Tuesday as members of the Public Rights Committee marched on foot from Naharlagun to the Executive Engineer’s office of the Public Works Department at Nirjuli.
Raising slogans demanding durable road construction and immediate repair work, the protesters said commuters have been suffering for years due to pothole-ridden and poorly maintained stretches in the twin capital region. They alleged that repeated representations to the department have yielded no result.
The agitation intensified in the afternoon when the Public Rights Action Committee served an ultimatum to the Superintendent of Police, Naharlagun, seeking the presence of PWD authorities at the protest site for an on-spot discussion.
The committee said if the department fails to give a concrete assurance, they will shift the protest to the PWD office premises and begin an indefinite hunger strike.
“We will not call off the protest till we get a written assurance on road restoration,” the committee said, adding that accountability must be fixed for the delay in execution of works.
Police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order as the foot march concluded peacefully at Nirjuli.