Border villagers threat to move to B'desh evokes assurance on good connectivity

SILCHAR: Bangladesh is underdeveloped and economically backward, it is said. But strangely enough some villages in the East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya bordering Bangladesh have been yearning for a long time to merge with the Sylhet district. The villagers allege even after 74 years of Independence of the country, they continue to suffer due to lack of basic facilities of life which have made them feel like living in a ghetto. Around 5000 residents of cluster of villages of Hingaria, Huroi, Lahlein and Lejri under Sutnga-Saipung Assembly constituency are virtually left in a lurch as their representations to the Meghalaya Government have failed to yield any positive response.

The plight of the villagers can well be understood from the ground realities. A muddy road connects them with Sonapur, a small hamlet, along National Highway 6, sixty kilometres away, their only access to mainstream of the state and the country. They demand immediate steps for better connectivity from the originating point of Borkhat to Sonapur road, 24X7 electricity, safe drinking water and most important, health services where nothing like medical infrastructure exists.

In fact, as Banmali Pasyad, a resident, told The Sentinel from Baikampunji on Assam-Meghalaya border, "For years, we have been dependent on the support of Bangladesh even for minimum medical treatment. In the absence of any health structure for our villages, a good number of lives have been lost." Just a few minutes' walk is Bangladesh while the nearest health centre of the district of East Jaintia Hills is nearly 6 hours of walk at Umkiang through the tortuous muddy road. Again for their daily consumable items, the villagers have to look towards Sylhet market. The nearest bazaar for them is again at Umkiang. Even for mobile and internet connectivity, they look towards Bangladesh. In fact, they survive on Bangladesh, rues June Khongstia and Baan Tongper, inhabitants of the landlocked areas.

Kyanjamon Amse, a villager, said, "It is most unfortunate that for our essential commodities like biscuits, tea leaves, blades, shaving gels, cosmetics, rice, pulses and all other grocery items, we have to depend on Bangladesh traders." Their demand for opening a border haat is also unheeded. Amse said the residents of the cluster of villagers in question still recall the sanction of Rs 97 crore by the North East Council for the revival of Cachar Jalalpur -Rymbai-Borkhat Road way back in 2011. The road will connect not only NH 6, the lifeline of supply, but also Barak Valley. This was also confirmed by Bidyujjyoti Purkayastha, former D.I. of Schools of Cachar and a resident of Jalalpur in Cachar. No body now knows the fate of the sanctioned money, not even the MLA of the area, Chit Pale.

After their repeated abortive attempts to meet Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, at last in June this year, a delegation on behalf of the residents of the four villages led by Kyrmen Shylla, Social Welfare Minister, could seek appointment with him at his Shillong office and apprised him of their long pending grievances including the Rs 97 crore road project with fervent plea to him for his immediate intervention and action. This too failed to evoke any positive result.

Frustrated and fed up, the residents of four villages sat at an emergent meeting and took unanimous decision to move away to Bangladesh. This jolted the East Jaintia Hills' administration and the state of Meghalaya. A meeting of the headmen of the four villages and their spokesman Kyrmen Shylla as well as Raja L Suchen, secretary of Huroi, with the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police of East Jaintia Hills was convened to discuss the problems of the four villages. Assurances came from both the top officials to visit their villages for an on the spot study and redressal of their grievances. The information is that the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police of East Jaintia Hills are yet to set their feet. And with that, the villagers continue to grope in darkness with no other way out than to look towards Bangladesh.

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