'Physically Barkasang may be barely a few km from Dispur, but mentally for the likes of Congress' Robin Bordoloi and Akon Bora, it has been in the back of beyond' – Dispur Samasti Ja Kalyan Mancha
By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, May 3: Barkasang along the Assam-Meghalaya border continues to remain ‘so near yet so far’. Physically the area may be barely a few km from Dispur, but mentally for Congress legislators like Robin Bordoloi and Akon Bora, it has been in the back of beyond, a social organization said.
In the 15-year-in-a-row Congress regime in Assam, these two legislators made it to the State Assembly from Dispur LAC – once by the former and twice by the latter. Both of them, however, conveniently ignored the woes of the tribal residents of 14 villages in Barkasang located on the other bank of the Ampri river near Meghalaya.
Theirs is a simple yet very difficult life in which they have to sweat buckets just to make their ends meet. Located on the other side of the Ampri they have to cross the river to make an honest money by selling vegetables, fruits and other horticultural products at Khetri or Sopur. They have no road connectivity, and there was just a makeshift bamboo bridge over the Ampri. They cross the river through the bridge, risking their lives. However, when the river is full to the brim, crossing the river through the bamboo bridge by one involves high risk. In such times, they, as often as not, have to starve. In such a period, the bamboo bridge was washed away by the surging water of the river. Finding no way out, the residents of the 14 villagers decided to get merged with Meghalaya as the other side of the inter-state border is comparatively developed. They do not know as to why the Congress government at Dispur continues to ignore their woes, conveniently.
Then came godsend Dispur Samasti Ja Kalyan Mancha (DSJKM) to the scene from nowhere. It has constructed a makeshift bamboo bridge over the Ampri so as to let the residents of the 14 villages come and do business at Khetri or Sopur. The problem of the bridge is over, temporarily although, but that of the road persists. And is beyond the capacity of the Mancha to construct a road for the villagers, costing a huge amount of funds.
Talking to The Sentinel, the chief adviser of the Mancha, Bidyut Bora, questioned: “Why does Dispur continue to look the other way when it comes to the development of Barkasang area? Is this because the residents there are plain-living tribals?”
Bora said: “We do development works in Dispur LAC on our own, without any support from Dispur. The Congress has been ruling the State for 15 years in a row. It was been the right time to carry out some connectivity schemes for Barkasang, as even if one government could not complete a scheme, the succeeding party government could have completed it. For the people of Barkasang, the 15-year Congress rule at a stretch at Dispur has failed to bear any fruits.”
In Dispur LAC, Bora said, the Mancha is carrying out works like helping poor students, promoting talented sportspersons, bringing people belonging to different faiths to common platforms, preserving ethnic tribal culture of the Dimoria area etc.
“Our activities and presence are also felt in neglected areas in Khapara, Chandrapur, Bhetapara, Hatigaon, Panikahiti, Bonda, Thakurkuchi, Ambari, Khetri, Durung, Sitali, Kahikuchi, Markasang, Magursila, Hengrabari, Borbari, etc. where people are involved with us,” Bora said.