Cries To Save Singerband Village From Watery Grave

Special Correspondent

Silchar: The sprawling Singerband village in Lakhipur subdivision of Cachar, inhabited mostly by the people of Manipuri community, has been under the ever expanding spectre of erosion by river Barak. Their repeated memoranda to authorities concerned have failed to yield any positive result. Their hearths and homes are at stake. The connectivity is eroded, creating serious problem in their movement. If the erosion continues unchecked, the day is not far when the entire village might disappear, leaving behind tales of devastation.

In view of the enormity of the situation, people of the village under the banner of Singerband Development Association of part V in a memorandum to Dr Rajdeep Roy MP on Wednesday have pleaded with him to exert his authority so that immediate steps are initiated to save the village and its inhabitants. They are living under the shadow of perpetual panic and spending their days restless. A large part of the area has already been swallowed up by the swirling waters of the river.

Their tale of agony is long. The lifeline road constructed under PMGSY that serves as internal connectivity for the villagers is already disrupted with erosion taking a toll on it. Many dwelling houses built with hard earned money have sunk into the river, compelling the residents to move to other places. More families are waiting to move out. The problem is compounded by the ever changing course of Barak, known as the most sloughing river in the world.

Looking at the unpredictable behaviour of the river and the unabated erosion, there is every possibility that around 50 villages that stand on the edge might gradually go down into the waters for ever. And with that hundreds of bighas of paddy land will also submerge into water. In their distress and desperation, the villagers have reached out to Silchar MP for an on the spot visit of the village to see for himself their predicament. Many villages in Cachar have met watery grave.

According to the information of the villagers, Rs 1.5 crore has been sanctioned under SDRF as phase 1 of the anti erosion project and tendering process for the same has been put in place. It is also learnt by them that an amount of Rs 6.5 crore has been earmarked for the second phase of work to undertake anti erosion measures under Chief Minister’s Rs 100 crore package for Barak Valley. But, sadly enough even after one year of the project being heard, nothing is seen on the ground. Singerband Development Association has prevailed over Dr Rajdeep Roy to ensure the project is implemented in letter and spirit to save the village.

Also Read: Read Here: What made Akshay Kumar to donate Rs 2 cr during Assam Floods?

Also Watch: Wild elephant creates havoc in Nagaon town | The Sentinel News | Assam News