Majuli: Island of despair to economic growth engine

Kalpajit Saikia

(The writer can be reached at kalpajitsaikia@gmail.com)

Fifty years back, when the proposal for my mother's marriage came, my grandfather flatly refused saying he will not get his educated daughter married to someone from Majuli. Being a successful and rich businessman, he didn't want his daughter to struggle in flood-affected Majuli with non-existent infrastructure and daily struggle of livelihood. It is a different story how he eventually conceded and married off his favourite daughter to a dhoti-wearing teacher hailing from a remote village of Majuli.

For long, Majuli was Assam's "Kalapani". Transfer to Majuli was considered punishment posting by government officials. With limited accommodation options, exiting the place was a desperate priority for someone visiting Majuli for some compulsion. Despite being one of the most beautiful places in Assam, there was literally no tourist activity till a few years back. For years, Majuli received a royal snub from the rulers of Dispur. The government employees hailing from other parts of Assam were absent for most of their tenure affecting public work. They spent most of their time in Dispur trying to get transferred to a place closer to their home. The flood and erosion were considered annual events and great opportunity for corrupt officials and contractors to make quick money. Roads damaged by floods made commuting inside the island a back-breaking experience. Travelling to and from the island used to be a strenuous experience which often involved long hours of walk and scary country boat rides. Over the years, there are some improvements in these experiences, but still far from the basic amenities required in the modern world. The election of Sarbananda Sonowal from Majuli provided hope to the population suffering from decades of cold-shouldering by the ruling class of Dispur. The Chief Minister did declare Majuli as a district and brought some media attention to the Island. But apart from that, it's business as usual on the ground.

Flood and erosion have been destroying the life and livelihood of the people of Majuli from ages. What used to be a bustling cultural and economic centre of the size of 787 sq km in 1915 is reduced to a 508 sq km area in 2005. That's a loss of an area bigger than the size of Bhopal. No civilized state sits idle when large chunks of lands get consumed by a water body. In fact, developed countries are reclaiming lands from oceans to build infrastructure for economic activities. In Assam, where land rights and the economic aggression by the outsiders is the central theme of political discourse, wastage of land like this is downright unacceptable. The governments, present and past have never shown real intent of solving this issue. Perhaps, an Assembly constituency with insignificant population doesn't warrant such great attention and investment. Every year before the onset of floods, there are surge of activities by various agencies to strengthen the embankments and find temporary solution to resist the Brahmaputra, most of which are simply rendered useless by the mighty river. The only beneficiary of this process are some corrupt government officials and a few cunning contractors. It is absolutely clear that there has never been a long-term plan to save Majuli.

Commuting to and from Majuli involves hours of ride in crowded ferries. It takes more than 3 hours to reach the nearest town of Jorhat, a distance of just 30 kilometres. This is unheard of even in the most undeveloped remote areas of India. The Island is full of painful stories of sons missing their parents' funeral, expecting mother undergoing many hours of labour pain and serious patients dying in the middle of the river. All the government has done is increasing the frequency of the ferry services and adding a few bigger boats. The fate of the bridge to Majuli over the Brahmaputra is unknown. On top of this, there is huge cost of transporting goods to Majuli. Three different transportation modes and equal number of loading and unloading points are involved just to get goods from Jorhat to Majuli. This increases the cost of goods drastically, slamming a body blow to the impoverished flood-affected people of Majuli.

Same is the story of healthcare. There are dispensaries and civil hospitals, but with very few doctors. There is neither any specialist nor equipment to handle any complex medical situation. Critically ill parents are referred to Jorhat in contravention to medical norms of attending to such patients within the golden hour. To cut a long story short, it's a painful struggle for existence for an average Majulian and the government is turning a blind eye to its plight.

The only solution to the problem is to look beyond the political cost benefit analysis and consider the long-term economic advantage of preserving the island. Majuli is both the cultural and ethnic capital of Assam. Successive governments have used the spiritual institution of the Xatras to build their political capital, but the strength the Xatras of their ability to contribute to the ecosystem of economic activity was never really understood. The immense potential of tourism in Majuli needs to be recognized and vision of Majuli's protection and development should be conceived in that premise.

Building permanent levees and facilitative controlled flow of tributaries is the key actionable when it comes to protection of Majuli. This will cost a lot of money and the government will not generously open its exchequer to benefit a small land mass with 1.67 lakh population and one Assembly constituency without a strong model of return on investment (ROI). For that, an integrated plan for development of Majuli as a tourist destination with all modern amenities along with a master plan to protect the rich geographical, cultural and ethnic heritage should be on the cards. It is to be recognized that development of Majuli can trigger a massive economic acceleration in Assam. The State government cannot achieve it on its own. Participation of the Central government, various agencies and Industries will be required. The long-term partnership should be planned with large private enterprises to build tourist infrastructure in Majuli. Theme parks, aquatic activities, museums etc. should be developed. Rich Xattriya heritage should be enhanced with proper beautification and conservation projects in Xatras. Integrated resorts should be constructed with world-class spas, rural and water sports. Themed attractions should be built, and locations should be developed to run exciting events. The benefit of exclusivity in the tourist revenue should be provided to the enterprises for a fixed time period in return of the investments. In short, the protection of Majuli and its development as a tourist location must go hand in hand.

The government should form Majuli Development Corporation as a statutory board with the objective of protection, development and promotion of the island as a tourist destination. Forming it a statutory board will ensure it independent governance, accountability to the State Assembly and it can perform without political interference. The corporation should work on a blueprint and roadmap for the development of the Island, engage with various stakeholders, build a robust plan and monitor the execution of the plan. The board should comprise professionals, administrators and representations from the people of Majuli. Extreme care should be taken to protect the corporation from political interference and political appointments should be avoided.

The cultural nerve centre of Assam can be the economic growth engine with good intent, sound planning and effective execution. The question is whether the government has the will to do it.