Gogoi still to keep word on Patharighat

4 yrs after foundation stone laid for farmers’ training centre, fund neither sanctioned nor land acquired

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, March 27: For the uplift of farmers, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has announced many schemes in the past which never materialized. In one such empty promise, he grandiosely announced a farmers' training centre for Patharighat, a very special place in the State's history where blood of farmers was spilled wantonly by the British raj.

On January 28, 2011, at Patharighat under Sipajhar LAC, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of a farmers’ training centre but its construction is yet to be started. “Even the required fund needed for the construction of the training centre is yet to be sanctioned by the Fince Department and the portion of extra land needed for the training centre has not yet been purchased by the department concerned,” sources said.

It may be mentioned here that Gogoi had announced the setting up of the farmers’ training centre at Patharighat just a few days before the announcement of the 2011 Assembly elections in the State. Was his announcement a mere election gimmick? This is one of the many examples of Gogoi’s unfulfilled promises.

The big question is that fund sanction, allotment of land and other necessary formalities are never completed on most occasions before announcement of schemes by Gogoi.

State Agriculture department sources on Friday said that the file mentioning fund requirement for construction of the farmers’ training centre had been sent for the Fince department’s approval.

For the construction of the training centre, additiol 5 bighas of land is needed but the land has still not been purchased by the department concerned. Departmental sources said that the additiol land will be purchased for the training centre if needed.

Interestingly, on January 28, 2012, former Agriculture minister Nilomoni Sen Deka again laid the foundation of a pillar of the training centre at Patharighat, the place which shot to fame due to the peasants’ agitation on January 28, 1894, in which 140 peasants were killed in police firing.

On Friday, local MLA Binondo Kumar Saikia, raised this issue in the Assembly and sought a reply from Agriculture minister Rockybul Hussain. In his reply, Hussain said, “All files have been sent to the Fince department for approval. Only after the approval comes, will the construction of the training centre begin.”

Chief Minister Gogoi, with his penchant for making off-the-cuff promises, probably fails to realize the pain of the needy when their hopes and aspirations are dashed by unfulfilled promises. He will do well to ensure that the necessary spadework is done before announcing any such schemes in future.