Stage set for socio-economic survey of sar areas after 20 years in Assam

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Directorate of Char Area Development, Assam, is ready to conduct a socio-economic survey of the sar areas of the state. It conducted the last socio-economic survey of the sar areas in the state in 2002-03.

Such a survey is long overdue. The survey will help in planning, conducting research activities, and general administration of sar areas.

Speaking to The Sentinel, Director, Char Areas Development, Farida Samsul, said, “We are ready to conduct a socio-economic survey of sar areas in the state after twenty years. We have had several meetings with the departments concerned. We have entrusted the Directorate of Economics and Statistics with preparing the DPR (Detailed Project Report) for the survey. In the past twenty years, the Directorate has made many attempts to conduct a survey of sar areas in the state but could not.”

The 2002-03 survey of the sar areas covered 299 gaon panchayats, 59 blocks, and 23 sub-divisions in 14 districts of the state. The survey found 2,251 sars with an area of 3,60,927 hectares and a population of 24,90,097. Their literacy rate in 2002-03 was 19.3 percent.

The district-wise breakup of the 2,251 sars in 2002-03 in the state was 175 in Kamrup, 32 in Nalbari, 277 in Barpeta, 179 in Goalpara, 117 in Borgaigaon, 480 in Dhubri, 134 in Darrang, 39 in Morigaon, 43 in Nagaon, 293 in Jorhat, 145 in Sonitpur, 109 in Lakhimpur, 149 in Dhemaji, and 79 in Tinsukia.

In the 20 years since the last survey of sar areas, the situation has changed a lot with the disappearance and creation of many sars. Rivers and their tributaries gobble up river banks and sars during floods and erosion, and when rivers change their usual courses. They also create new sars. Thus, changes in the number of sars and their population are inevitable.

The State Government does all work related to sar area development with 20-year-old data, and as such, the Directorate cannot reach many of the newly-formed sar areas.

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