Madhya Pradesh: 'Laughter protest' in Bhopal on damaged road to draw govt's attention

Residents of Arvind Vihar gathered around a damaged road to protest against the lack of work done on the project. People protested in several ways to attract the attention of the district authorities and did so by bursting out in laughter in large numbers. They also performed yoga and conducted other fun activities to attract attention to the situation. People were tired of using the damaged road running through their colony and wanted the authorities to take notice of the matter and act upon the same. The news agency ANI posted a video of the people protesting, and it was captioned with, “MP: Residents of Arvind Vihar, Bhopal staged 'laughter protest' on a 200 m long dilapidated road to draw govt's attention.”

At least 150 residents gathered in the locality along with several children and protested against the district administration. They formed large groups and then raised their hands and burst into laughter. They also were chanting the slogan “please give us a road.” The people of the colony said that they tried to contact the government over the issue directly but they received no response. It was after several attempts that the people decided to gather in numbers, which attracted media attention. A resident of the colony told ANI, “road hasn't been constructed in last 2 years though Rs 3 crores sanctioned. Some work was done when we protested, but it was stopped later.”

Roads repaired for PM Modi’s visit but not for locals

The residents also said that the damaged roads in specific areas across the city were repaired to prepare for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit earlier this month on November 15, but roads in other parts of the city have been left unattended even after several years of damage. The residents said that the civic authorities raised the tender when they protested last time and it was picked by a builder. After completing half the work, the builder fled and did not return to complete the work. As per the civic authorities, they raised a tender for Rs 3 crores, but the work could not be completed due to an issue with the non-payment of dues.

(with ANI inputs)

Image: ANI