Doomdooma: Hundreds of women and children joined the All Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA) in a fresh protest on Monday evening, demanding an indefinite ban on vehicles transporting fresh tea leaves along the accident-prone Samdung Bypass in Doomdooma, Tinsukia district.
The renewed agitation came two days after a fatal multi-vehicle collision claimed four lives and injured three others. Protesters accused the administration of failing to introduce immediate road-safety measures despite the deadly accident.
Read more: Doomdooma bypass protest ends after assurance of compensation for four accident victims
Demonstrators raised slogans against the authorities, demanding urgent steps to prevent further accidents on the bypass. Doomdooma Police Station officer-in-charge Manujal Gogoi reached the protest site with police personnel and pacified the protesters as tensions rose.
The latest protest followed an earlier blockade by local residents, which was called off on Sunday after the administration assured compensation for the bereaved families and action on their demands.
ATTSA warns of further agitation
The protesters have called for an indefinite ban on vehicles carrying fresh green tea leaves along the bypass, holding the administration responsible for addressing repeated accidents on the stretch.
“We are closely monitoring the situation. If our demands for measures to curb frequent accidents on the bypass are not addressed from today, we will continue our agitation,” Irot Tanti, president of the ATTSA Doomdooma regional committee, told North East Now.
The association has warned that the agitation could continue if the authorities fail to respond to their demands.
Four killed in Saturday collision
The Saturday accident involved a vehicle transporting fresh tea leaves and several other vehicles. The collision triggered a fire that gutted vehicles and killed four people identified as Subrata Bhakto, Pintu Tanti, Ganesh Praja and Rajesh Kishan. Three others sustained injuries.
Following the crash, residents demanded additional safety measures along the bypass, including speed breakers, streetlights and a permanent police outpost at Samdung. They said these measures were necessary to improve traffic regulation and curb dangerous driving.
The renewed agitation has put further pressure on the administration to act on its assurances and introduce concrete measures to address road-safety concerns along the Samdung Bypass.