Agartala–Sabroom road blockade over ADC land dispute halts traffic for eight hours in Sepahijala. Protesters accuse administration of unconstitutional inclusion of Sixth Schedule areas into Bishramganja Nagar Panchayat; blockade lifted after written assurance.
Normal life was severely disrupted on Tuesday after a prolonged road blockade over a land demarcation dispute brought traffic on the vital Agartala–Sabroom road to a complete standstill for more than eight hours, causing massive inconvenience to commuters, transport operators, and office-goers across Sepahijala district.
The blockade was staged early in the morning at Pushkarbari by several civil society organizations, led by Tipra Motha legislator Ranjit Debbarma, who accused the district administration of arbitrarily including areas governed by the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) within the jurisdiction of the newly notified Bishramganja Nagar Panchayat.
The protest targeted a recent notification issued by the Sepahijala District Magistrate that allegedly brought a substantial portion of Sixth Schedule land under the control of an urban local body without the mandatory consent of the autonomous council. Protesters claimed the move violated constitutional safeguards and threatened the administrative autonomy guaranteed to tribal areas.
The Agartala–Sabroom road, one of the most important arterial highways in Tripura connecting the state capital to southern districts, remained blocked throughout the day. Hundreds of vehicles, including buses, ambulances, goods carriers, and private cars, were stranded on both sides of the road. Passengers were forced to wait for hours under the scorching sun, while many office employees and students failed to reach their destinations.
Soon after the blockade began, Sepahijala District Magistrate Sidharth Shiv Jaiswal, accompanied by senior police and civil officials, rushed to the protest site and initiated talks with the agitators. Despite repeated verbal assurances from the administration, the demonstrators remained adamant, demanding a written commitment to exclude Sixth Schedule areas from the Bishramganja Nagar Panchayat.
The situation remained tense for several hours as negotiations continued intermittently. Protest leaders insisted that any administrative decision affecting TTAADC land must strictly adhere to constitutional provisions under the Sixth Schedule and should not be undertaken unilaterally by the district administration.
After prolonged discussions, the District Magistrate agreed to form a joint demarcation committee consisting of elected representatives from both the autonomous district council and non-ADC areas. The committee will conduct a fresh field inspection of the disputed land and submit its findings within 15 days.
Following the written assurance from the administration, the protesters finally withdrew the blockade in the late afternoon, allowing traffic movement to gradually resume. Normalcy was restored by evening, although long queues of vehicles persisted for some time.
Addressing the media, Ranjit Debbarma said the agitation was aimed at protecting the constitutional rights of tribal communities. He thanked the district administration for agreeing to a transparent review process but warned that any attempt to dilute Sixth Schedule provisions would face strong resistance.
Chief Executive Member of TTAADC, Purna Chandra Jamatia, also criticized the notification, describing it as unconstitutional. He stated that nearly two square kilometres of autonomous council land had been included in the Nagar Panchayat limits, which could create serious administrative confusion and legal complications.
“The Sixth Schedule areas are governed by a separate constitutional framework. Overlapping jurisdictions between urban bodies and the autonomous council will only lead to governance chaos,” Jamatia said. He added that he had formally written to Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha and the District Magistrate seeking immediate corrective action.
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Responding to the controversy, District Magistrate Jaiswal clarified that the Bishramganja Nagar Panchayat was formed by merging three gram panchayats—Barjala, Cheshrimai, and Bishramganja—in accordance with provisions of the Tripura Municipal Act. He acknowledged that confusion may have arisen during the delimitation exercise and assured that the joint committee would objectively verify all claims.
“If evidence establishes that any portion of the demarcated area falls under TTAADC jurisdiction, it will be excluded from the Nagar Panchayat,” the District Magistrate said.
The incident has once again highlighted long-standing tensions between autonomous council areas and urban expansion policies in Tripura, raising important questions about constitutional safeguards, administrative coordination, and inclusive governance.
