Letters to the EDITOR: Additional burden on Assam

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Additional burden on Assam

Assam is one of the smallest states in the country. Unabated erosion by the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries is making it smaller day by day. As such, Assam has no room to settle even an additional Indian, forget about the settlement of new Hindus from Bangladesh. Why is this simple logic ignored by the centre? Or should we presume that our state's leadership is enthused to welcome new Hindus with a view to remaining in the good books of the centre, as did other leaders in the past? We know for sure that every human being needs all facilities like shelter, a job for sustenance, education for children, medical facilities, etc. as required by any other citizen. And we know that unemployment is widespread in the state and in the country as a whole. Can the centre really afford this luxury to welcome new Hindus to India? Indigenous (Assamese) victims of erosion have been languishing on earthen dykes for the last four to five decades without any succour from the government. They are Hindus, too. Why this discrimination between Hindus vs. Hindus?

Undoubtedly, Assam has been made a dumping ground by successive governments since independence to settle people from Bangladesh, erstwhile East Pakistan, and Nepal as well. It is not wrong to suggest that Indian leaders seem to consider Assam as the colony of main-land India. The kind of treatment meted out to Assam all along reflects their colonial mindset. When a flood gate is kept wide open, no one can estimate for sure the exact cusecs of water flowing through the gate, and just like that, nobody can figure out the exact number of new Bangladeshi Hindus entering through the porous borders. The Hindu Bangladeshi can easily be assimilated with the local Hindu Bengalis since their language and culture are similar. No one can single out a new Hindu Bengali with an old one unless he or she volunteers to identify himself or herself. Obviously, such possibilities are very remote.

The pertinent question is: is there any modus operandi or mechanism to confirm that there are only eight (8) numbers, not eight (8) lakh new Bangladeshis (Hindus) who have entered Assam in recent times? The sad commentary is that for sure there have been no proper records of locals, outsiders (Indians from other states), and people of different nationalities residing in the state with the state administration. By that, I don’t mean NRC. People are coming, going, and staying in the state at their own will. In fact, lump sum figures show that the 3.5 crore population of the state has no sanctity. At long last, we request the centre to rehabilitate new Hindus in big states like UP, MP, Gujarat, Maharashtra, etc. instead of targeting Assam all the time. The above suggestions, if implemented in letter and spirit, would truly reflect the love of the government of the day for Bangladeshi Hindus.

Prafulla Dowarah

Guwahati

Easier way to reduce floods

The Assam government occasionally talks about dredging the bottom of the Brahmaputra River to mitigate floods. I remember seeing photos of vehicles with machinery on TV screens during the previous government's time. However, it is not a very small and simple task but a huge and expensive one. It is true that all the rivers, including the Brahmaputra, decrease in depth during the dry season, and, therefore, their water-holding capacity during the rainy season is decreasing day by day.

Instead of digging the rivers, the government should dig up the chaporis created in the middle of the rivers and dump the soil on both sides of the river. Where the plateau is formed, the river erodes. Therefore, it is expected that the erosion will be prevented by demolishing the sandbars and placing them along the rivers. The river will erode more than the equal amount of soil created by the plateau to the west and south of the plateau. These river valleys contribute to the economy of the country in many areas, including agriculture, livestock breeding, etc., and these are the first places where foreigners settled. These sar-saporis cause more economic losses to the government than the economic benefits they bring.

Since time immemorial, Assam has been an agricultural state, mainly because of its floods. The plains of Assam are geographically and naturally surrounded by mountains on all sides; therefore, not only today but in the future too, Assam will continue to experience major floods every year. Therefore, the people of Assam will have to live with floods for all time. Wind, storms, rainwater, etc. are not the property of any country, and they will come to the plains despite the mountains and cause floods. If the government has any plans to dig the Brahmaputra River to protect the people from this flood problem with various scientific and technical measures, it should not be dug from Sadiya to Dhubri because it will cost a huge amount of money. Therefore, instead of digging the whole big river, one should dig 20 to 40 or 50 km of the southern portion of the Brahmaputra River once on a trial basis with a slightly less expensive method.

Jibon Borgohain

(jibonborgohain5072@gmail.com)

When will a permanent solution to the floods be achieved?

Every year, the people of most places in Assam live in fear during the monsoon season due to the recurring flood problem. Despite the fact that the people are aware of the seriousness of this issue, it seems that the government has not given it the due importance it deserves. The allegation that Assam’s flood issue does not receive special attention from the central government is not new; it is a centuries-old complaint. There are certain areas in Assam where, with the arrival of the monsoon, people only worry about the potential devastation the floods might bring. To date, no effective solution has been found for Assam's long-standing flood problem. Even though science and technology have advanced significantly, Assam's flood problem remains as it was in the past century. It's high time Assam's flood issue was approached with scientific and technological perspectives to find a permanent solution. Long-term plans need to be implemented to increase the water-carrying capacity of rivers and prevent the indiscriminate discharge of water into them. It is crucial to present Assam's flood issue as a serious problem to the central government and to adopt a permanent solution with its cooperation. Instead of spending crores of rupees annually on constructing temporary embankments, utilizing those funds for a permanent solution would be more beneficial for the riverside communities. However, plans should not be made just to impress the people; only scientifically-based steps can yield positive results. The conscious people of Assam hope that the government will take scientific measures with the help of science and technology to resolve the flood issue permanently. Floods not only damage homes and property but also shatter the dreams of many students.

When schools remain closed for a week or ten days due to floods, electricity is cut off, students are deprived of education, and connectivity with other areas is severed, it severely impacts the students' progress. This aspect is rarely discussed. Such problems directly or indirectly affect students' lives, studies, and performance in competitive exams. Many students who start their education with determination and aspirations for a successful career often have to abandon their dreams due to the overwhelming impact of floods. We only hear about the success stories of students who achieve great things through their talent, but the untold stories of many talented students whose lives are devastated by floods remain hidden. It's often said that challenges can't be an excuse for failure, but the narratives of those who succumb to these challenges are seldom heard. The impact of floods on a village, a home, a family, or an individual's life can be profound beyond our estimation. We only focus on the visible aspects of the issue. Simply rescuing flood victims and providing them temporary relief does not solve the problem. Aid and assistance cannot restore what has been lost or rebuild shattered dreams. Hence, the government and administrative departments need to conduct a proper assessment and devise a scientific and permanent solution to prevent annual floods in Assam. Such a solution will play a crucial role in advancing Assam in financial, educational, political, and other aspects.

Deborshi Gautam,

Belsor, Nalbari

Guarding the borders

Of all stretches of the India-Bangladesh borders, the Tripura border has not been fully secured by fences. Infiltration along this border by criminals, smugglers, and illegal migrants from across the border wanting to gain entry into India is quite rampant, much to the detriment of Tripura in general and India in particular.  The state has an 856-km-long border with Bangladesh, and each of its four districts touches the border. Quite a few militant outfits that have created havoc in Tripura have their camps across the border. However, Dhaka has constantly been in denial mode about accepting the presence of insurgent camps on its side of the border. Apart from inadequate fences, a shortage of armed forces is one of the most important factors for increased infiltration from Bangladesh into India via Tripura.

The construction of border fences has been reportedly woefully slow for the same reason. Another issue has been inadequate arming of the forces present to guard the border: the BSF, CRPF, Assam Rifles, and State Rifles. Modern technology like AI has to go hand-in-hand with the physical efforts of the forces. Additionally, coordinated patrols by the BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) may go a long way. It goes without saying that infiltrators of various kinds are adept at gaining the confidence of poor and illiterate villagers in border areas' to their own advantage. Therefore, the integration of these villagers into mainstream society is crucial to preventing and controlling infiltration.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)