A residential colony in Bhopal in BJP ruling state of Madhya Pradesh had marked a unique incident on Sunday, which ended up drawing nationwide attention. The residents of the colony had held a protest on Sunday in a peculiar fashion to make the government hear their demand.

Hundreds of people have lined up with the banners and in place of slogans against the government, they had laughed and their laughs had masked their fury and frustration over fixing a dilapidated road in the colony. In what has become a unique laughter protest, the residents of Arvind Nagar had held such protest with the hope to draw the attention of the government.

The residents have been demanding the authorities to fix the road for years and as their typical demonstration didn't turn the heads of the authorities, they have now used their laugh as a new weapon. According to reports, the government had in 2019 allocated Rs 3 crore to fix the road and the work was started to repair it. 

However, the work was stopped abruptly in some months and the road remains with worst conditions for the past two years. The residents of Arvind Nagar, where the road is situated, had held protests urging the government to resume the work of fixing it. However, there was no immediate remedy for their voices and on Sunday, they had stopped lending voices and unfolded a protest with laughs in their attempt to somehow draw attention from the government to fix the road. 

Being fed up with the condition of a 200-metre-long road in their area,  the residents had held banners that highlighted their plight and demand and began laughing. Speaking to ANI, Uma Shankar Tiwari, a local resident, said, "We are staging a laughter protest. We are laughing because the government is unable to repair the road. The road wasn't constructed in the last two years although Rs 3 crore was sanctioned. Some work was done when we protested but it was stopped later." 

At least 150 residents have gathered and protested against the district administration for its apathy. The protesters had also chanted "please give us a road." The residents allege that the damaged roads in specific areas across the city were repaired to prepare for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit earlier this month and roads in other parts of the city have been left unattended for several years. 

#WATCH | MP: Residents of Arvind Vihar, Bhopal staged 'laughter protest' on a 200 m long dilapidated road to draw govt's attention

"Road hasn't been constructed in last 2 yrs though Rs 3 cr sanctioned. Some work was done when we protested but it was stopped later," a local says. pic.twitter.com/2bl05e15Fj

— ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2021