Assam: Erosion causes big threat to proposed Biswanath-Panpur highway

JAMUGURIHAT: The local residents residing beside the river have to bear the trouble of erosion during winter or dry seasons and adverse effects of flood and havoc caused after massive flood as well simultaneously. Assam has been badly affected by both natural calamities. Though the union as well as the State government has their respective departments to look into the issues yet the issues have never been ended. But the hurdles and troubles caused by the calamities are felt by the residents who live in the riverine areas.

The mighty river Brahmaputra flows underneath the historic Biswanath-Panpur embankment on the southern part of Sootea. Every year, it causes great havoc during the summer and monsoon seasons and in the winter and dry seasons too. Flood during summer and erosion in the winter season have become common and the State government shows no response to the call of the general public of the locality. The winter or the dry season is the best season to adopt some innovative measures for the upgrade of the embankment and to carry out repairing works on the erosion hit embankment. The Water Resources and PWD (Lok Nirman) departments do not seem interested in these works. This has caused great damage to the crops, agriculture land, and cattle and to the lives of the local residents. Many times river basin areas have been proved sources of indefinite income for the contractors and for some officials.

More than twenty villages of the south Sootea were engulfed by the mighty river Brahmaputra so far. The vast Brahmaputra river has expanded its flow area by five km to the north of its previous course. Many peasants and the poor people have become landless and homeless and helplessly settling on the Biswanath-Panpur embankment.

Crores of rupees have been allotted for carrying out the repairing works of the embankment but it remains the same. The problem remains unchanged but the government funds were exhausted. The local residents alleged that the funds were mis-utilized by the contractors and the officials concerned every year.

The threat of recent erosion has been noticed in the revenue villages including Solmari and Singimari of South Sootea. The Biswanath-Panpur embankment has been upgraded to a super-highway recently. The state government has released funds to carry out the construction works. Presently, the construction work of the super highway is going on at Biswanath-Panpur embankment. The road has been elevated more than the earlier one. But simultaneously the erosion has been caused by the mighty river from the other end which causes a great threat to the super highway. The local residents besides the representatives of AAMSU (All Assam Minorities Students’ Union), NEMSU (North-East Minorities Students’ Union) and ASSP (Assam Sankhyalaghu Sangram Parishad) have submitted memoranda to the Water Resources department, Biswanath district administration so far citing the great threat on the proposed superhighway but no action has been undertaken by the department concerned till date.

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