Delay in gauge conversion hits Barak Valley

Are politician and transporters to be blamed?

From a Correspondent Sentinel Assam
SILCHAR, March 7 : The foundation stone for the gauge conversion work from meter to broad-gauge in the Silchar–Lumding track was officially laid in 1997 by the then Prime Minister Deve Gouda. Although politicians and some noted personalities of the Barak and Brahmaputra valley including AASU adviser Dr Samujjal Bhattacharjee often claim that the ‘gap’ between the two valleys have been minimized as a result of this venture, only time will prove the same.

But given the pace of work, the completion of the project seems to be a distant dream. The construction of the broad-gauge rail connection between Guwahati and Silchar has effectively become a never-ending saga of mismanagement. The “targeted ” period of completion has been crossed many times, and now the next targeted completion period is March 2009. But the snail’s pace at which the work is progressing have led experts on the issue to comment that they are not even hopeful that the work would be completed by 2011–such is the state of affairs.

“Practically one fourth work of the project is yet to be finished”, said PK Dutta, a retired engineer of Silchar town, although railway sources claim that more then 40 percent of the work has been accomplished. Dutta outlined that there are definitely technical difficulties in undertaking construction in hilly areas. Some of the workers who have been engaged by the contractors expressed their grievances. According to them the area is so located that the construction work could be done for just about 5 to 6 months in a year as periods of incessant rains make it difficult to carry equipment to the work site. Also rains in such areas create other hazards.
However once the conversion is completed the distance between Guwahati–Silchar will be shorter by 18 kms, as from a distance of 216 kms the distance will be reduced to 198 kms.

“What is the difference anyway if the work continues in such a way”, said SK Chakraborty, a former member of the, Broad-gauge Demand Committee, Silchar. “I think only my son will see the completion”, Chakraborty added. “The main part of the work remains untouched till now”, said Fakaruddin Laskar who was employed in a transport company. He cited examples and said the work of the longest bridge near new Haflong station have just started. Piling work started for the bridge which will be 740 ft long. “Minimum period of one year or perhaps more would be needed to complete the work”, Laskar added.

The work remained closed for few months due to extremist problem. “A few members of the DHD(J) and NSCN is behind the extortion, kidnapping etc creating hurdles, said a Haflong based police officer. DHD main stream Chief Dilip Nunisa though denied such allegations, sources added. The newly elected NC Hills Autonomous Council Chief Deepolal Hojai met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and urged early completion of the work.

The main hindrance to the project is the lack of political motivation. If the politicians desire early implementation of the work the same could be duly accomplished. Some people alleged that a transport lobby is creating the problem. Hundreds of buses ply daily between Guwahati and other areas of Barak Valley including Mizoram and Tripura. More then 200 trucks are also operating daily on NH 44. Once the broad-gauge track starts this will cease. Many private carrier cum travel company operate with the buses and trucks owned by many politicians and political leaders. And this lobby is being blamed for the negligence in the gauge conversion work.

Though the broad-gauge line from Guwahati to Lumding has been completed and is operational, that from Lumding to Silchar is still under meter gauge and is purportedly under construction. But in the whole situation of uncertainty it is mainly the common people of Cachar who are bearing the brunt of inefficiency. Goods including materials and essential commodities carried by the railways from Guwahati to Silchar have to be unloaded and subsequently reloaded at Lumding, a transhipment forced due to the different gauges. All of this entails tremendous delays and an artificial scarcity is created which leads to inflating costs with even essential commodities being stuck for days at Lumding.

Thus the early completion of the broad-gauge track would help assuage many of the problems of the residents of Cachar. Fearing an obscure future of the project student organizations have also come forward in open criticism. The All Cachar-Karimganj- Hailakandi Students Association president Rupam Nandi Purkaystha told sources that they are contemplating on starting a mass movement seeking speedy implementation of the work.

ABYSA’ holds road show against drainage and footpath

From our Correspondent Sentinel Assam
SILCHAR, March 7: All Barak Youth Students Association (ABYSA) activists in hundreds went on foot around the town and held street corner lectures, expressing their serious concern at the poor quality of the ongoing footpath cum drainage works executed by the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) without any specifications. Mihir Lal Roy, president ABYSA, said their objective behind this road show “is to arouse citizens’ awareness about the slipshod manner of carrying the multi-crore project.

At many places, he pointed out, the footpaths have collapsed along with the drainage within a few hours of their construction. With modern technology and equipment, he said the construction works “are expected to be better, but it has been just the reverse here”
Roy further said, “A powerful syndicate under political patronage has become active to drain out public money”. ABYSA appealed to the people of the town is to take united stand and raise their voice against the colossal wastage of public money.

Rail Budget farcical for Barak Valley

Silchar’s problems yet to be solved, says economist

From a Correspondent, Sentinel Assam
SILCHAR, March 2: “Questions are being raised by the people of Silchar on the eve of the Assam Assembly session which begins from tomorrow. Will the endless problems of Silchar as well as Barak Valley be reflected on the floor of the Assembly?”
The Union Budget and the Railway Budget raised an alarm on the floor of Parliament indicating mid-term Lok Sabha elections. Congress-ruled Asom is showing similar signs to go in the same way, said a renowned economist of Silchar town. He told The Sentinel that the State Budget would be like the Union Budget which would include some relaxations for the common people. More money will flow in the name of various schemes.
“This is good. Good in the sense in people’s point of view. But what will happen regarding the other problems? It is a matter of fact that this Government has not been able to solve even a single long-standing problem. People of Barak Valley now have become habituated to think that these are unsolvable.”
The gauge conversion work started in 1997 but nobody can confirm when it would finish. Most of the roads in Silchar town are not fit for walking. Dinesh Prasad Goala, Urban Development Minister, is a resident of this district but has allegedly not done any work for the people. People have virtually lost faith on him. They were with full of hope that these problems will be minimized within a short time as they have got some ministers and also a chairperson of the Silchar Municipal Board, who is the wife of Santosh Mohan Dev, Union Heavy Industries Minister, but their problems are yet to be solved.
An important reason behind this thinking is that the people’s representatives, MLAs, including two ministers, are not at all interested to open their mouths on the floor of the Assembly.
It may be mentioned here that one weekly newspaper of Silchar raised allegations against a few MLAs of Barak Valley of not speaking a single word in the last session. The MLAs are Silchar MLA Bithika Dev and Algapur MLA Rahul Roy.
“This has created confusion in the minds of the people. Why should we elect them as our representatives? It is a matter of shame that perhaps Silchar has now become the most problematic town in the whole State.”
 

Silchar Drainage system questioned by citizens

From our Correspondent Sentinel Assam
SILCHAR March 3: With impending monsoon the citizens of Silchar have become apprehensive of yet another civic problem-drainage. This town with a municipal area of 15.71 sq kms and population of three lakhs is plagued with choked drains and the spill-over filthy water, resulting in water-logging of roads at several places during rains. In order to provide better drainage system and foothpaths, the National Building Construction Corporation and Project Implementations Alliance have undertaken a multi-crore project.

In fact, according to a survey conducted by an NGO in 1997, the roads and foothpaths of this town are under heavy pressure as around 1 lakh people on an average, use them everyday. Since there is no scope for widening the roads, the foothpath cum drainage now being built by NBCC and PIA has evoked public criticism on several counts. The under construction foothpath cum drainage work around the town has created hurdles on the road, affecting commuters and pedestrians.

Shyalendu Deb, a resident of Shillong patty questioned the narrowing down of the new drain under construction which according to them will obstruct the operation of excavator to cleanse the accumulated garbage. This will frustrate the very purpose of the drains to flush out excess water and channelize it to outlets.

Similar apprehensions have been created in the minds of the people of Malugram, the biggest residential area of the town which remain waterlogged for nearly two months during heavy rains due to the locking of sluice gates of river Barak. The implementing agencies have no specific answer on outlets. The expanded Link Road residents in the east, as MK Dhar pointed out had to bear the brunt of flooded waters. He is not assured of the benefit of the new drainage. “Where is the outlet?”, he asked.

An official of the NBCC said, “We are now concerned with the inlets not outlets”. “This is an indication of the shape of things to come”, pointed out Shyamal Kanti Deb, retired ADC. Institution of Engineers has decided to constitute a five-member experts team to study the design of NBCC in the face of mounting public criticism.

The three kilometre long western outlet to drain out excess rain water to river Ghagra is silted and under severe encroachment. This is linked with the Rangirkhari channel that takes in water of western areas of this town. The satellite survey for the new drainage system has been questioned.
Bithika Dev, chairperson Silchar Municipal Board, while sharing the people’s anxieties expressed her displeasure at their ‘negative attitude’ and advised them not to lose patience. She in fact advocated for satellite township which would ease much of the civic problems.

Ad-hocism will not solve insurgency

From a Correspondent Sentinel Assam
KARIMGANJ, March 3: In the wake of increasing abductions and extortions the educated gentry here are apprehensive whether such nefarious activities are really the handiwork of some insurgent groups or some other agencies are masquerading as extremists. Within the last fortnight many abductions have taken place, though many of the victims promptly returned home safely. Abduction involving Sunil Biswas, Pijush Deb, Pathik Roy and Tajuddin from Bora Bhubirband, West Cheragi (under Ratabari police station) and Badshahi forest reserve under Lowairpoa forest range (under Patharkandi PS) of the Karimganj district, took place between February 15 and 25. It was alleged that ransom money facilitated their release. It is interesting to note that no insurgent group had till date claimed responsibilities for those abductions and also no extortion note was issued.

According to a senior police officer, at least some of the abductions in Karimganj district bordering Mizoram and Tripura seem to be stage-managed at the behest of a third party for –all party to the share in the ransom. Even the political objective of the two insurgent groups operating in Karimganj district could not be determined, he added. A section of local people feel that at times some unknown gang of extortionists having no relation with insurgency or any other political activities, might also demand money taking the advantage the prevailing situation in the said area.

Local people are living under a perpetual threat given piecemeal measures adopted by the government which inevitably would never be able to bring an end to the problem. Rather a comprehensive plan involving all law enforcing agencies is the need of the hour. If the situation is thus neglected the bordering areas of Tripura and Mizoram within Karimganj district would soon be another North Cachar Hills where insurgents and extortionists rule supreme, sources added.

Bishnupriya Manipuri body’s demands

From our Correspondent Sentinel Assam
SILCHAR, March 4: Bishnupriya Manipuri Gana Sangram Parishad (BMGSP), a conglomerate of six different organizations, staged sit-in demonstrations for six hours in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner here, demanding among other things regularization of the services of 149 Bishnupriya Manipuri language teachers and formation of the Bishnupriya Manipuri Territorial Council. In this regard, the Parishad submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister and the Education Minister of Asom through the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar for redressal of their grievances.
Subal Sinha, president of BMGSP, said that on January 6, 2005, the Government of Asom had resolved in a meeting held in the Assam Secretariat conference room with the representative of Bishnupriya Manipuri bodies to meet their long pending demands, but till date, the State Government has failed to honour its commitment.
He also recalled that during the Assembly session on July 26, 2006 the Education Minister, Ripun Bora, had announced on the floor of the House that the process of regularization of the services of 149 language teachers was in process. On behalf of the Chief Minister, the Forest and the Environment Minister Rockybul Hussain also made a similar announcement and added that the Government had instructed the departments concerned to furnish relevant information/ documents about the Bishnupriya Manipuri Territorial Council. But, the Government, he pointed, has failed to work it out too.
Subal Sinha urged the Government to ensure that their demands would be met and necessary announcement be made in the current session of the Assembly, failing which Bishnupriya Manipur bodies would be left with no option but to chalk out further agitational course.
 

Development works of Cachar district reviewed\

From our Correspondent Sentinel Assam
SILCHAR, March 5: At a meeting of the Silchar District Development Committee (DDC) presided over by Gautam Ganguly, Deputy Commissioner of Cachar and attended by ADCs Banhisitha Dutta and Din Bandhu Deka, CEO Zila Parishad Sadhana Hojai and other departmental officers, the implementation of various schemes and projects for the welfare of the common people and for the overall progress of the town were reviewed.

Gautam Ganguly after being briefed about the distribution of jobs cards from different block officers advised them to complete the process of reaching maximum beneficiaries. Also he emphasized that the programme should reach the target group by March 11. He also emphasized proper accounts in distribution of job cards and to maintain relevant documents in this regard.
On being told by an agriculture department official that there was poor response from the farmers for obtaining power tillers at reduced rates, the Deputy Commissioner suggested adequate publicity and campaign to motivate the farmers. It was informed by the DTO that the revenue collected during the last month as taxes from vehicles amounted to Rs 36.17 lakh. Discussions were held on the progress of works of DRDA, PWD (B), ASEB, PWD (NEC), Indira Awas Yojana , PHE Department, Health and Social Welfare Departments.

It was decided that certain specified departmental officials would be selected to undergo training in accordance with “Incident Common System” in which Bhaskar Baruah, retired IAS officer along with other high officials, would be present.