Villagers block road over 5-day power outage in Cooch Behar

Cooch Behar: Residents of Nalgi Bari in Mathabhanga-II block staged a road blockade on Sunday, protesting the lack of electricity in their village for the past five days.

The demonstration took place on the state highway connecting Cooch Behar and Mathabhanga, causing long queues of vehicles on both sides and significant inconvenience to commuters.

Upon receiving information about the protest, police from the Nishiganj Outpost arrived at the scene and attempted to persuade the demonstrators to clear the road. However, the villagers remained firm in their demand for immediate action. The blockade lasted for about an hour before being lifted following assurances from the police. According to sources, the Electricity department restored power to the village shortly after police intervention.

Gaur Mahanta, a resident who participated in the protest, said: “The village had no electricity for the last five days, affecting nearly one-third of the households.

Repeated attempts to contact the electricity department went unanswered, leaving us with no option but to protest. Following the police’s assurance, we cleared the road and power was restored immediately. If such issues persist, we will protest again.” Despite the resolution, officials from the electricity department have not issued any statement on the matter.