No road, no vote: Nurpur villagers protest lack of connectivity, threaten election boycott
The village has a population of over 150
Residents of Vatniyal ward in the Kherian gram panchayat of Nurpur staged a protest in their village on Monday, announcing a boycott of the upcoming Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) elections. The protest was sparked by the failure of previously elected representatives to provide road connectivity to the village, which has a population of over 150.
Adopting the slogan “no road, no vote,” the villagers unanimously decided not to entertain any candidates campaigning for the PRI elections. Local residents Bhumi Singh, Parshotam and Dinesh Kumar from Barot village lamented that they had been demanding road connectivity since 1985, yet successive governments ignored their plight.
They alleged that political leaders make tall promises during campaigns but fail to deliver, leaving residents to face severe hardships. Protesters highlighted that during the monsoon season, commuting becomes a nightmare, making it incredibly difficult to shift sick residents to nearby hospitals or for children to attend school. Fed up with hollow promises, the villagers warned they would also boycott next year’s Assembly elections if their demands were not met.
Nurpur SDM Arun Sharma stated he was aware of the boycott announcement. He directed the Block Development Office to send a team to the village to engage with the residents. Appealing to the protesters, the SDM urged them to exercise their democratic right, noting that an election boycott was not the right approach.
