Assam: Six years on, Rs 11 crore Sessa embankment still unfinished, 55 villages at risk

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: Six years after the founda-tion stone was laid, the Rs 11-crore Sessa River em-bankment project in Dibrugarh's Lezai-Kalakhowa area remains incomplete, leaving residents of nearly 55 villages vulnerable to recurring floods and ero-sion.

The 4-km-long embankment project was sanc-tioned at an estimated cost of Rs 11 crore, with the objective of providing protection to villages in the greater Lezai-Kalakhowa-Bordoibam area. The foundation stone was laid by then Assam Chief Mi-nister Sarbananda Sonowal on February 21, 2020.

However, despite the passage of six years, the project is yet to be completed, residents alleged.

"Every year during the rainy season, we live under the constant threat of flooding as water enters our villages. The embankment was supposed to protect us, but the project is still incomplete," said Hitesh Gogoi, a resident of Bordoibam village.

Bordoibam, under the Lezai area of the Khowang constituency, has been grappling with recurring flood and erosion problems for years. Residents say the incomplete embankment has left them particular-ly vulnerable during periods of heavy rainfall and rising river levels.

Questions have also been raised about the utilisa-tion of funds sanctioned for the project. Gogoi al-leged that around 90 per cent of the sanctioned amount has already been released to the contractor, despite substantial work remaining incomplete.

"We suspect irregularities in the use of the sanc-tioned funds. If such a large portion of the money has already been released, the authorities must ex-plain why the work is still incomplete," he alleged.

Residents have further alleged possible financial ir-regularities in the execution of the project and have urged the authorities to conduct an inquiry into the use of the funds. The allegations, however, could not be independently verified.

The embankment was taken up with the stated aim of protecting around 55 villages in the greater Lezai-Kalakhowa area from recurring flood-related prob-lems. With the threat of floods and erosion continu-ing, residents have been approaching government offices and appealing to the authorities to expedite the stalled work.

Residents are now demanding immediate interven-tion from the concerned departments, completion of the remaining work and an investigation into the al-leged irregularities.

For the people living along the vulnerable stretches of the Sessa River, the long-pending project is more than an infrastructure initiative-it is a crucial line of defence against recurring floods and erosion.

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