By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, May 2: A group of Mising organizations have come down heavily on the Assam Government and said that it is because of the apathy of the government the Mising community still remains backward in the State.

Addressing the reporters here on Wednesday, Bholanath Doley, president of the All Senior Mising Citizens’ Association and Durgeswar Patir, treasurer of the same organization said that despite being the second largest tribal community in the State, the Mising people have yet to get the benefits of the government programmes. Besides All Senior Mising Citizens’ Association, members of the Mising People’s Justice Forum and other Mising groups were also present at the press met.

They said that a nominated Mising Autonomous Council was formed after the signing of the Mising Accord during the 1995 Hiteswar Saikia regime and the government tried to carry forward the development works for the Mising community. “The nominated Mising Autonomous Council had been dissolved due to alleged corruption in the council on June 30, 2009 by the government and after that all the development works for the Mising community were stalled,” said Doley.

The Mising groups have urged the State Government to form the council immediately and the concerned departments to utilize the government grants properly.

The Mising organizations further stated that the Lower Subansiri Project along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border could pose a serious threat to the lives and properties of the Mising people living in the downstream areas. “The Mising people are majority in the downstream areas of the project site. The government should first make a proper impact assessment study of the dam before going ahead with the construction of the project. Before the completion of the study, the government should put the construction on hold,” added Doley.