What makes the Border Development department neglect fringe dwellers?

Assam citizens residing in the villages bordering Meghalaya in Kamrup and a few in Kamrup (M) districts are keen to side with Meghalaya.
What makes the Border Development department neglect fringe dwellers?

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Assam citizens residing in the villages bordering Meghalaya in Kamrup and a few in Kamrup (M) districts are keen to side with Meghalaya. The prime reason is the neglect Dispur meted out to them for decades.

Another reason behind this is: Meghalaya issued Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) to the fringe dwellers of Assam. The Assam Government took the matter casually when the development came to light. Meghalaya issued EPIC earlier than Assam.

Nothing is hidden on this front now. When the regional committees of Assam and Meghalaya visited border villages – Upper Tarabari and Lungsai – the residents openly said that they felt proud to be sons of Assam. "However, prolonged neglect to us by Dispur over the decades made us to side with Meghalaya," one of the residents said in front of the two regional committees.

The Assam Government had all along been least bothered about the development of its border areas. Water supply, electricity, road communication etc., are non-happening from the Assam side. However, Meghalaya has extended all such facilities to the fringe dwellers of Assam. Prolonged neglect from Dispur made some of the fringe dwellers avail of benefits extended by the neighbouring state. It so happened that some of them have got jobs in the Meghalaya Government.

Assam has a Border Protection and Development department. Its former name was Border Areas Department which did precious little to develop the border areas.

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