Pangram People Plagued By Pollution

Silchar: Unchecked and indiscriminate growth of sundry private industrial units and other auxiliary business activities for the last few years in and around the non descript village of Pangram along Airport Road, 18 km from here, in the constituency of Udharbond have posed serious problem to the inhabitants of the once most tranquil and scenic location of Cachar district. In a memorandum signed by a number of citizens belonging to both Manipuri and Bengali communities to Laya Madduri, Deputy Commissioner of the district today, the problems plaguing their normal life have been raised, seeking her intervention for initiating corrective or remedial measures.

Close by the village flows the river Madhura and not far is the lush green Arunabond tea estate. Apart from the illegal quarrying of river sands day and night from the river by unscrupulous elements despite all the high talk of high tech monitoring of forest resources by the forest department, sprouting of small industrial units with or without permission, not known, pollution has become a major irritant for the residents. Along with that, agriculture land is fast turning arid, telling adversely on their livelihood.

It has not taken much time for the resourceful persons with long arms to set up stone crusher factory, iron factory, brick kiln, bitumen batch mix plant and other related units in the area. Worst hit by such activities is the agriculture land and apprehension is that in near future no space will be left for agriculture products. This will in turn hit hard the poor and marginalized agriculturists, the memorandum mentions.

The land for agriculture is being gradually grabbed for industry. The sound emanating from crushers is affecting the study of school and college going students, besides telling on their normal day to day works. Quite strange, residents wonder how in an residential area, industry can be allowed to make inroads, leading untold inconveniences for them. The area being cancer prone as it has been pointed out, pollution is further compounding the atmosphere by disturbing the eco- sensitivity. Schools, pre primary, primary and middle, located in the area have to bear the brunt of ever growing noise and air pollution. This is assuming alarming proportion, fumed the parents and guardians, as it is proving hazardous for the health and hygiene of their children. In view of the grave facts narrated, the memorandum calls for immediate stoppage of the illegal industrialization and other clandestine activities by the district administration and the pollution control board and save the peace loving people of Pangram and the cluster of villages in and around.

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