Living in 'no man's land' with uncertainty looming large

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR, June 17: A total of 178 families who were barricaded out during the course of border fencing are yet to be rehabilitated and are living in no-man’s land along the 32 km India-Bangladesh border in Assam’s Katigorah constituency under the district of Cachar for the last many years.

The Assam government had allotted 89 bighas of land in Katigora block of the district for the rehabilitation of these families. During the tenure of Harendra Kumar Dev Mahanta as Cachar Deputy Commissioner, a decision to allot the land for the rehabilitation of the families was taken in a meeting of the sub-divisiol land allotment advisory committee. But, the process of land allotment is yet to be started.

A total of 2,625 persons belonging to 343 Indian families from 17 villages along the 124 km intertiol border in Barak Valley of Assam were barricaded out during the course of border fencing, which is yet to be completed. In Cachar, the number of such persons is 1,465, belonging to 178 families are living in no man’s land. The gate remains closed from sunset to sunrise and the people have to complete several formalities before they can enter the Indian side.

The village-wise number of families and individuals respectively is as follows: Mahadevpur Part I - 40 and 320, Mahadevpur Part II, 17 and 130, Jalalpur 20 and 156, tanpur 37 and 297, Pingar 23 and 187 and Tokorgram 50 and 375. It was also decided by the administration to allot houses to the aggrieved families and Rs.32,22,500 was allotted and released as first installment by the Central Ministry of Rural Development for the purpose to rehabilitate the poor affected people under the Indira Awaas Yoja (IAY).

But, out of the sanctioned 182 numbers of houses under IAY scheme, 174 falls under Kalain Development Block, only 81 families’ mes have been found in BPL List and 33 houses have been allotted, the remaining 93 beneficiaries have not yet been allotted houses as their mes are missing from the BPL list. There have been allegations in the past by the affected people that funds allotted for their rehabilitation have been swindled by corrupt government officials.

Daiyan Hussain, general secretary of All India Youth Congress (AIYC) said that despite repeated requests to the higher authorities concerned, these helpless people have not been rehabilitated. They are living in deplorable conditions. There is a lack of basic amenities such as sufficient food and medical care, sanitation, education, safe drinking water and other such basic facilities. In the me of humanity, these poor and helpless people should be rehabilitated as soon as possible.