No road, no electricity, no drinking water: Basapathar villagers to boycott polls

A Correspondent

SARUPATHAR: Deprived of basic amenities like electricity, drinking water, concrete roads and RCC bridges, the villagers of Ratanpur gaon panchayat under 94 No. South block Golaghat at Sarupathar in Golaghat district, have decided to boycott the panchayat polls on December 5. Fed up with the failure of the successive governments to provide the basic amenities, the villagers held a meeting at Basapathar village under Ratanpur gaon panchayat in Sarupathar and decided to boycott the first phase of the panchayat polls, beginning on December 5.

During the meeting, the villagers rued the fact that promises made by the elected representatives, successive governments and poll aspirants were never fulfilled. Later, they unanimously decided not to cast their votes in the panchayat election to be held in the first phase on December 5.

“We are up-in-arms against the government for depriving us of basic amenities like road, electricity, lack of adequate staff in schools, RCC bridge over Doyang River and safe drinking water. Hence the villagers have decided to boycott the polls to show their resentment. The government is responsible for the decision as our repeated requests and petitions were never entertained. For us, the elections hardly hold any relevance. We have been neglected by various governments since Independence. There are no approach roads, electricity and safe drinking water facilities in our panchayat. People are promised development every time before the polls but it never materializes. All the candidates who have contested in the assembly polls or are contesting in the panchayat polls have no right to seek votes in the name of development, we have lost faith in the process,” said some villagers from Basapathar village.

Also Read: Assam News