A Correspondent
TANGLA: With the ensuing BTC council polls, every party and candidate are making promises to the electorates - the three most common being bringing in ‘development’, ‘peace’ and integrity in the trouble-torn Bodo belt. But United People Party Liberal (UPPL) candidate from Nonoi Serfang BTC constituency is making a promise which every voter of the constituency wants to be addressed.
Krishna Bahadur Giri, the UPPL candidate of Nonoi Serfang BTC constituency, whose major contenders are likely to be sitting BPF MCLA Suresh Tanti and BJP candidiate Sanjit Tanti, has promised his people to address the man-elephant conflict in the Indo-Bhutan border villages of Udalguri district which has also grappled the people of the constituency.
“Along with other issues of development and potable drinking water, the major issue which is part of my election manifesto is man-elephant conflict which has reached dismal levels in Udalguri and Baksa and needs immediate attention to address this despicable situation in a
more pragmatic manner. If voted to power I will seek to resolve this issue and bring in a permanent solution to reduce the causalities of human and elephant on both ends by roping in wildlife experts specialized in the field,” said Giri.
Giri further asserted that the people of the constituency were desperately looking for an effective and permanent solution from the government. “Poor innocent peasants are dying or are maimed in great numbers and are helplessly left to protect themselves while killer elephants are freely rampaging in human habitations causing irreparable damage and destruction to life and property. Hardly a day passes sans the news of elephant attacks in Udalguri and Baksa while the number of elephants killed by the enraged villagers using illegal methods is also a matter of concern,” Giri said.
Criticizing the ruling Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) for distributing land pattas to only people belonging to a particular community, he said, “Every dweller who has been living on these government lands irrespective of caste, creed, community and religion must be given land pattas, only then the promises of ‘equal rights’ and ‘equal dignity’ can prevail.”
Giri also exuded confidence that for the cause of change, the UPPL under Pramod Boro would form the next government in the council and asserted that BJP candidate Sanjit Tanti would be his major contender in the constituency. Gopal Sarma, a local Gorkha student body leader, also expressed his gratitude to UPPL for giving candidature to Giri, who he claimed will represent the three lakh Gorkha people residing in the Bodo belt and said that the student body would wholeheartedly support Giri in the polls.