Silchar: Public anger over Silchar’s poor roads, waterlogging and traffic chaos spilled onto the streets on Monday.United Citizens, an umbrella body of 16 NGOs, staged a protest at Meherpur, one of the town’s worst-affected areas, and warned of a road blockade if the administration fails to act within a week.Residents, social organisations and commuters attended the public meeting and highlighted the city’s deteriorating civic infrastructure. They cited damaged roads, prolonged traffic congestion, a shortage of traffic personnel, illegal roadside parking and the absence of an effective drainage system as major problems disrupting life.During the programme, volunteers launched a symbolic drive to remove vehicles allegedly parked illegally along roadsides. The forum said it would submit a memorandum to the district administration seeking immediate corrective measures.United Citizens has given the administration until Friday to respond. It said a road blockade would be held at Meherpur on Saturday if visible action is not taken.Speakers alleged that Silchar’s road infrastructure continued to worsen despite repeated public complaints. Several arterial roads, including stretches linking residential areas with the town centre, are riddled with potholes, making travel hazardous, especially during the monsoon.The protesters said even moderate rain inundates large parts of the town due to the lack of a modern underground drainage system and poor maintenance of existing drains. Waterlogging has become routine in several localities, affecting traffic, businesses, educational institutions and healthcare services.Commuters said short trips within the town now take much longer because of damaged roads, bottlenecks and indiscriminate parking. Patients, schoolchildren, office-goers and emergency vehicles are among the worst hit.The protesters said the crisis has wider implications as Silchar is the gateway to the Barak Valley and neighbouring Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur. Thousands of inter-district and inter-state passengers passing through the town face daily delays and unsafe road conditions.Several speakers accused elected representatives of indifference despite repeated assurances.The forum demanded time-bound road repairs, scientific drainage measures, removal of encroachments and illegal parking, deployment of adequate traffic personnel, and steps to ensure smooth and safe traffic movement across Silchar.
