Concern for Silchar

A bag full of expectations and some concerns!!

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 22 May 2016 08:24:00 +0000

CM designate Sarbananda Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma, the man credited for engineering the win. Photo Courtesy: PTI

Assam has voted for change and so has Barak Valley. In a historic verdict, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won eight out of the 15 seats in the valley with Cachar alone sending six candidates from the saffron party to Dispur.

The verdict this year is very interesting because, on one hand, the voters voted massively for change and yet, they remained as communally polarized as ever. Therefore, Hindu majority Cachar picked six BJP candidates and Muslim majority Hailakandi picked AIUDF candidates while completely rejecting the ruling Congress. The voters of Karimganj also rejected the Congress and voted either BJP or AIUDF depending on the demographic composition of the constituencies.

Lakhipur’s Rajdeep Goala escaped the wrath of the voters probably because, he had been elected mid-term after the demise of his father, Dinesh Prasad Goala and the anti-incumbency wave against him was not as profound as in the other constituencies. Karimganj North’s Congress candidate Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha also scraped through by a few hundred votes. Badarpur's Jamal Uddin Ahmed also won by a small margin. Sonai’s BJP candidate Aminul Haque Laskar’s win was also significant and a result of intelligent demographic engineering where he got the votes of the entire Hindu population of Sonai and also significantly polled Muslim votes.

Probably, for the first time in recent political history of the valley, all Congress stalwarts like Gautam Roy, Ajit Singh and Siddeque Ahmed lost the polls. Despite, all problems, Indian elections do finally reflect the mood of the people, and no leader, no matter, how big he is, can fool the voters for long. Indeed, finally there cannot be any alternative for performance and the defeat of all the ministers from Barak Valley is testimony to this very fact. For 15 long years, they did precious little to solve the problems of the region and the valley kept descending into an irreparable morass of backwardness. These polls have given them a befitting reply.

However, the loss of the Congress bigwigs should also be a lesson for the BJP, that there will be no alternative to good work, when they take over the reins. Five years ago in 2011, the Congress had returned to power with a massive verdict. In Silchar, the municipality was with the Congress, the state and central governments were with the Congress and Susmita Dev had won with a good margin in the assembly polls. Only, the MP from the constituency, Kabindra Purkayastha was from BJP.

Yet the Congress did not take any advantage of such favourable political environment and squandered away the position to BJP five years later, which now finds itself in exactly the same state. The central and state governments and the municipality are with the BJP. The party’s candidate has won the assembly polls with massive margin and only the area’s MP is from the opposing party. They will now have absolutely no excuse for non-performance and the results will be damaging next time if they do not perform.

In its election manifesto, the BJP declared that it will construct multiple bridges over the river Barak, build a mini secretariat at Silchar and reserve all third and fourth grade jobs of the valley for the locals. These tall promises will be fulfilled only if Sarbananda Sonowal adopts a bipartisan attitude towards the valley and treats it at par with the Brahmaputra valley.

An Assamese friend from Rangia recently told me that this year for the first time, they heard so much about Barak Valley in regional media because both Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma kept visiting the region for campaigning. In all his press conferences in Guwahati, Sonowal has repeatedly spoken of the development of both Barak and Brahmaputra valleys.

Yet, many in Barak Valley do look at him with great deal of cynicism given his involvement with the All Assam Students Union (AASU) and his active role in the Assam agitation of the 80s. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Joi Aai Axom’ sloganeering in Silchar prior to the 2014 national polls was also seen as a handiwork by Sonowal. While, that gaffe by Modi was rectified this year with a generous ‘Bengali Nababarsha’ wish, Sonowal will have to do much more to win the trust of the people of this region.

He will have to ensure that any fight against illegal immigration does not convert into witch hunt against the Bengalis of the state. With the downfall of the Axom Gana Parishad (AGP), BJP has tried to occupy the Assamese nationalistic space vacated by that party in the Brahmaputra region. The AGP, a poll ally is also already flexing muscles regarding the illegal immigration issue with its limited seats. Sonowal will have to tread a middle path and keep all communities happy.

Infrastructural development has been a prime focus area for the NDA government at the centre and almost all state governments under the BJP have done well in improving the road and power infrastructure. Sonowal will have to ensure that the same happens in Assam. In Barak Valley, the highways have been completely destroyed under the Congress regime. For financial gains, these arterial roads were brought under PWD’s purview from the Border Roads Organisation. These highways will have to be re-laid again and handed over back to BRO so that they are maintained properly.

Other pending projects such as the Mahasadak, the Silchar bypass, the bridge at Sadarghat, the engineering college in Karimganj will have to be completed at the earliest and the road infrastructure of the entire valley will have to over-hauled. The BJP, in its manifesto before the Silchar municipal polls had announced that it will construct a flyover in the town to mitigate traffic problems. Well, if they have the intention, this is the time to execute the project since all the governments are being ruled by the same party.

During the Congress rule, it could be observed that all the leaders of the valley had a cabal of contractors and middlemen around them who would bag all the projects and repeatedly get away without performing. It will be interesting to see whether similar cabals are created around the BJP leaders or not. In conclusion, the message from the aam janta is loud and clear – perform or perish, the next poll is not very far away!!

Railways flunk monsoon test...

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Tue, 03 May 2016 09:32:00 +0000

Railway track covered with mud. Photo Courtesy: Samayik Prasanga

The early onset of rains in Barak Valley and the adjoining Dima Hasao district has plunged the region’s railway connectivity into uncertainty. The double derailment of Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express within a week and the subsequent landslides at Phiding have yet again raised serious questions about the capability of this newly laid section to tackle incessant rainfall.

NF Railway’s Chief Bridge Engineer, Alok Kumar Verma in a recent internal communication had said that, “Operation of passenger services between New Haflong and Ditokcherra stations should be suspended with immediate effect on account of distress in the bridges, tunnels and cuttings”. Subsequently, a high level inspection team of NF Railways had inspected the New Haflong – Ditokcherra section and announced it suitable for operations. However, within a week of this development, the engine of the Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express derailed.

Interestingly, this section never quite received the go ahead from the Commissioner for Railway Safety (CRS), who in his report had raised multiple issues pertaining to the viability of operating safe railway services on the hill section. In his report the CRS had said, “The Line cannot be opened for passenger traffic without danger to travelling public”. He had further recommended that “the railway administration engage experts in the field of technology, structural engineering to critically review the present status and recommend suitable preventive measures.”

The cracks visible inside tunnel number 10 are now proving the doubting thomases right, though the railways have not yet made any official comment about the extent of damage inside the tunnel. Austrian tunnelling experts who inspected the tunnel recently did not look satisfied at all with the construction quality. One shudders to think what may happen if the tunnel collapses someday with a train full of passengers inside it.

To add to the problems, landslides are not only confined to the New Haflong – Ditokcherra section, also known as the ‘diversion stretch’, though most of the observations regarding safety were raised for this section only. Rather, the recent landslides have taken place at Phiding between New Haflong and Mahur.

Prior to the commissioning of the broad gauge section, the railways had the experience of running metre gauge trains on this stretch for about a hundred years. They were completely aware about the geotechnical challenges that would be confronted here. Were all those factors considered when the line was being constructed?

Many media reports have claimed that due to continued insurgency and difficult terrain, the geotechnical survey of many stretches on the corridor were not carried out properly. Geotechnical surveys reveal the soil strata and therefore determine the machinery and materials to be used for any construction work. If the surveys were not carried out as per rules, it must have been very difficult for the Railways to carry out construction work as per quality.

Repair work in progress. Photo Courtesy: Samayik Prasanga

While many engineers and experts, both from within the Railways and outside have expressed serious concerns about the quality of the construction work, some other experts and Railways insiders have also suggested that landslides and structural wear and tear is a common feature in all hilly terrains. Both railways and roads tend to get damaged due to rainfall, snowfall etc in all parts of the country in hilly areas and there is very little that can actually be done. NF Railways’ General Manager VS Jaggi also seemed to suggest the same during his recent visit to Silchar.

It would indeed be impossible to keep the line open on all days during the monsoons but the Railways should at least ensure that their rescue and repair teams are on vigil all the time so that repair work can be started immediately after any landslide. In addition, adequate arrangement for food, water, medicines for stranded passengers must be made every time there is a disruption.

The Silchar – Lumding broad gauge is a dream come true for the people of Barak Valley and the adjoining states. Even as the services continue, the Railways must carry out very stringent quality checks of the materials used for construction and structurally check every single bridge and tunnel. If they find any inadequacy, they must address the same immediately.

The margin for error is very low for such hilly areas where the top soil is loose and disintegrates early in comparison to the Himalayan hills. Any oversight as regards safety can prove extremely dangerous and result in massive loss of lives. Let us hope the Railways will handle the crisis with competence and minimise disruptions as much as possible.

It is appalling that the Assam government does not maintain the road links to Barak Valley at all. Both the highways via Shillong and Haflong are in a pathetic condition and fail to provide a viable alternative in the event of disruption in rail services. Indeed, there would be very few such pockets in India where connectivity is such a hassle. Let us hope the new state government will have something better to offer!!

Assam elections: what lies ahead for the state’s Bengali Hindus

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 08:58:00 +0000

Even by conservative estimates, the Bengali Hindus today constitute about 10 to 15 percent of Assam’s population. While they have substantial population in the Barak Valley, there are many legislative assembly constituencies outside the valley also where they are a deciding factor in the electoral battles.

The popular perception in Assam, especially the Brahmaputra valley is that the Bengali Hindus of the state migrated here due to religious persecution in East Pakistan and subsequently Bangladesh. However, the history of the community in the state is probably a bit more complicated.

A significant number of Bengali Hindus came into Assam with the British since the colonizers required the services of the educated Bengali babus to execute their official work. In Barak Valley, a substantial population of Bengali Hindus has been settled for many generations with many tracing their roots back to at least a couple of hundred years. And yes, after the partition of the country in 1947 and the subsequent creation of Bangladesh also, many had to migrate due to religious persecution across the borders.

The community has always contributed significantly, especially in the fields of art, culture, music and sports. The recent anointment of Guwahati girl Priyadarshini Chatterjee as Miss India can probably considered the latest addition to the list. However, politically, the community has largely remained at the peripheries and has made no conscious attempt to represent itself effectively in the parliament or the state assembly.

Some individual leaders have certainly emerged who have held important ministerial positions both in Dispur and New Delhi, but they have never portrayed themselves as representatives of the community as such. However, due to their substantial numbers, the community is gradually being seen as a potent vote bank.

That’s why we have often seen Assam’s leaders invoking Tagore and Netaji in their speeches to attract the Bengali Hindus. We have also seen leaders like Tarun Gogoi delivering speeches in Bengali in places such as Lumding and Hojai apart from Barak Valley. BJP, traditionally has enjoyed the support of the community and still depends heavily on the Bengali Hindus for their electoral returns. Last year, they had also brought out a notification announcing protection for Hindus who had to migrate to India from the neighbouring countries due to religious persecution.

So, with another state election passing by, what lies ahead for this embattled community which bore the brunt of the Assam movement in the 1980s and still faces discrimination in getting government jobs in the state. A close study of the attitude of the leading political parties would reveal that the picture still looks rather grim despite all the tall claims.

During the campaigning, on multiple occasions, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi referred to the warm ties he shared with the Bengali Hindu people. He proudly said that many in his family had married Bengali Hindus and how they felt at home in each other’s company. But during his 15 years of rule, Gogoi did not take one substantial step to mitigate the problems of the community.

The Congress does not object in principle to the issue of providing citizenship to the Hindus who migrated from Bangladesh due to religious violence, but this contentious topic was never brought up for discussion or debate by the party. On the other hand, poor people were branded ‘D’ voters and routinely harassed. Gogoi flatly refused to intervene and dismissed the issue as a law and order problem where the ‘law must take its own course’.

The BJP has ridden to prominence in Assam with the help of the Bengali Hindu community. In the 1990s it got unprecedented support from the community in Barak Valley which helped it garner substantial success. But since then, the political priorities of the party have changed. Today, it is trying to occupy the Assamese nationalistic space left vacant by the downfall of the AGP in the Brahmaputra Valley.

As a result, even after notification announcing citizenship for migrants facing religious persecution, precious little has been done to enact a bill. Prime Minister Narendra Modi kept completely quiet on the issue during his fiery speeches in Assam because any promise in this regard would have deeply dented the party’s prospects in Brahmaputra valley. Party president Amit Shah’s promise that the bill would be brought once the party gets majority in the Rajya Sabha does not sound genuine enough since the principal opposition Congress is also not officially opposed to such a bill.

Honestly, suggesting solutions to come out of the current state of affairs seems difficult. Many have opined that the community must become politically more conscious and carve out a political party which speaks for them, but such a step is ridden with obstacles. Many from the community who are in active politics have made a name for themselves as acutely corrupt and inefficient. If the same people become the custodians of the community again, then there won’t be any credible results.

Probably the citizenry will have to become more vocal, create social organisations and pressure groups and pressurize the government of the day to solve the issues. Apart from raising contentious problems such as lack of job opportunities, other issues such as social stigma and continuous branding as illegal entrants to the state will also have to be discussed.

A high voltage yet hollow campaign…

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 15:49:00 +0000

The main contenders for Chief Ministership - Tarun Gogoi and Sarbananda Sonowal. Photo Coutesy: www.rajyasabhatv.com

A high voltage election campaign has recently come to an end in Barak Valley. This time, all the major political parties have accorded tremendous importance to the 15 seats here and a bevy of national leaders have toured the region in the last few days.

BJP has in fact, sent almost all its senior leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party President Amit Shah and senior ministers like Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari and Smriti Irani. Congress, on the other hand had rallies by vice president Rahul Gandhi and Ghulam Nabi Azad.

All the leaders, irrespective of the party, have promised the moon to the voters. While BJP has blamed the Congress for the backwardness of the region, the Congress, at least in Silchar has tried to convey that present MLA Dilip Paul has been a failure in addressing the concerns of the people.

Now, after the conclusion of the campaign, its decision time for us voters. Thousands will surely throng the voting booths tomorrow and cast their votes to decide the fate of the candidates, but have there been any major ‘take aways’ from the high pitched campaign that we witnessed? Could any party or leader transcend the usual rhetoric of allegations and counter allegations and provide a vision for the development of Barak Valley? The answer, most unfortunately is an emphatic ‘no’.

Apart from economic and infrastructural backwardness, the people of Barak Valley today also suffer from acute identity crisis. Since the educated local youths do not get government jobs, thousands leave the valley every year in search of greener pastures to different parts of the country. The text books of the state of Assam do not teach about the history and origin of Barak Valley and when the people from this region travel to Brahmaputra valley, they are often perceived as illegal Bangladeshi intruders.

Many leaders from the Brahmaputra valley have spoken about bridging the gap between the two valleys of Assam, but unless these existential issues of the people are addressed, the ever widening gap will never get bridged. The crucial D voter issue is also integral to the question of identity, but no party has gone beyond lip service since any assurance to the people would have severely impacted poll prospects in other parts of Assam, where ‘illegal Bangladeshi intrusion’ is a major poll issue.

Both the Congress and BJP have promised to set up wings of the state secretariat in Silchar, so that the people are saved from the ordeal of traveling to Guwahati frequently for official requirements. BJP has also promised that all junior level state government jobs will go to locals. These are welcome promises and let us hope they are kept by the party that comes to power.

The roads of the valley need immediate repair and their poor condition is one of the ruling Congress party’s biggest failures. This issue will need immediate attention so that at least commuting within the valley becomes easier.

The leaders from Barak Valley will also have to assert themselves more aggressively in Dispur. In the last few terms, the absence of an assertive leader with pan Assam appeal has hurt the valley badly. All the leaders from Barak Valley, across party lines, simply act as stooges of the bigger leaders in Dispur and do not seem to have the necessary courage to stand up for the issues faced by the people.

In the last assembly, there were almost no protests against issues such as harassment of people due to the NRC exercise, the D Voter controversy, the continuous appointment of Brahmaputra valley candidates for junior grade jobs in Assam governmet’s offices in the valley and so on. This has to end and the MLAs will have to show the necessary courage to stand up for the people.

In conclusion, come, let us make tomorrow count. Let us elevate ourselves from the prejudices of religion and ideology and vote for the best candidates in our constituencies. Let us not succumb to the lures of money or liquor and exercise our rights as citizens of India!!

Elections or reality shows??

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 16:39:00 +0000

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Silchar MP Susmita Dev during a rally in Silchar. PTI Photo

With the announcement of poll dates in Assam, political activity in Barak Valley has reached feverish pitch. Door to door campaigns, VIP leader visits, press conferences promising the moon to the voters have all begun. Of course, allegations and counter allegations by competing parties and politicians are also an important ingredient of the entire process.

Elections in the valley are almost like the reality shows on television, which are aired periodically but have no connection whatsoever with the regular lives of the people. Traditionally, the voters of the region have always voted in very high numbers in all polls, either parliamentary, state assembly or municipal. However, the poll results have never resulted in any significant improvement in the lives of the people. Despite the continuous backwardness, the same leaders and their families have won repeatedly which clearly shows that they have never been held accountable for their inefficiency or corruption.

So, the obvious question that comes to mind is what factors do the Barak Valley voters consider while casting their votes. Do they take into consideration the past performance of the leaders or do they take into reckoning their religion, caste etc? A close look at the voting patterns in the valley will reveal that most unfortunately factors such as religion and ethnicity of the candidates are far more important than their past performances.

This tendency immediately gives us answers as to why the valley continues to languish in absolute darkness, even as the leaders make obscene amounts of money and still get away with such corruption and non performance.

The 15 assembly constituencies of Barak Valley have a mixture of broadly three different ethno religious communities – the Bengali Hindus, the Bengali Muslims and the Tea Garden community. Tribals, Manipuris, Bishnupriya Manipuris and Biharis also form substantial populations in certain constituencies. The past results of all constituencies show that the winner generally is from the dominant community from that area even if the candidate from a different community has better credentials.

Hindu majority areas will return Hindu winners, Muslim majority areas will return Muslim winners and those with majority populations of tea garden people, will return winners from their own community. It is very rare that this trend is ever disturbed. Therefore, in all of these constituencies, we have dynasts whose families have dominated the political scene there for generations and yet even basic grass root infrastructure has not been developed.

Generally speaking, Barak Valley is indeed an island of peace. Different communities live together in relative harmony and apart from isolated incidents here and there, communal disturbances are not very common. Yet, during the elections, they succumb to their communal limitations and vote clearly on communal lines.

As a result, elections have become mathematical equations. If you can crack the electoral mathematics of the area, you win or else you lose. So, how will the valley’s voter vote this year? Will it be any different? In all probability, not. The same lot of louts will win and fleece us for another five years. Till that happens, the people will surely enjoy the unfolding of the new season of great electoral reality show!!!

Silchar Airport to start evening operations from 18th June, 2016

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 11:45:00 +0000

Representative Photo of a Jet Airways ATR Flight. Photo Courtesy: www,airplane-pictures.net

Come the 18^th of June, and the Silchar Airport will join the select league of airports in India, which also operate flights during the evening and night hours. From that day onwards, Jet Airways flight 9W-2880 will fly out of Silchar for Guwahati at 5.40 PM. This development fulfils the long standing demand of the people of Barak Valley for services from the Kumbhirgram Air Force base after sunset.

As per the new schedule announced, 9W-2879 will take off from Guwahati at 4.20 PM, reach Silchar at 5.15 PM and then take off for Guwahati at 5.40 as 9W-2880. This new initiative opens many more possibilities for the Silchar Airport, as other airlines may also be interested to start night time operations from this airport with tremendous potential.

The airport was equipped with Instrument Landing System CAT I and Night landing facility way back in 2009. However, being an Air Force base used for civil operations, an agreement on starting night services could not be reached between the Airport Authority of India and the Air Force. Finally, after many deliberations, in May, 2015, the Defence Ministry permitted night landing at the airport.

However, this new announcement is not an addition to the current lot of flights operating from Silchar. Jet Airways currently operates 9W-2879 and 2880 during the afternoon hours and the flight will also be discontinued for close to two months from 27^th March till 17^th June. The same flight will operate during the evening hours from 18^th June onwards.

In addition, from 27^th March, 2016 onwards (beginning of Summer Schedule), the second Jet Airways flight to and from Kolkata (9W – 2881 and 2882) stands cancelled till further notice. No official reason has been given so far for the cancellation by Jet Airways.

With the expansion in operational hours at the Silchar Airport, the possibility of more airlines flying from here also increases. There was a time when the afternoon flights from Silchar often used to get cancelled due to bad light. Such possibilities will also be eliminated now.

Silchar is a town with immense possibilities. With improvements in the air and rail sectors, the pace of development in the entire Barak Valley region is expected to get expedited. Let us hope, the Silchar – Saurashtra Mahasadak come out of the government red tape and soon sees the light of the day.

Finally, good days for Barak Valley…

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 13:40:00 +0000

photo courtesy: Facebook page of www.silchartoday.com

68 years after independence, Silchar finally got a direct rail connectivity to the national capital on Saturday, opening many new possibilities of progress and development for the long neglected Barak Valley.

This month, two long distance express trains - the Sealdah bound Kanchanjunga Express and the New Delhi bound Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express have been started from Silchar. If the Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu is to be believed, few more express trains for Agartala, Tinsukia, Mumbai and Chennai will be introduced in the coming months in a phased manner.

While many political pundits have termed this sudden rush in launching new trains as a political gimmick prior to the high voltage state polls, we wouldn’t mind it, as long as the people are benefitted. After all, this only indicates that the government is accountable to the people and can demand votes only if they have something concrete to show in terms of development.

A robust communication infrastructure is not only important for the convenience of the people, it is also important for the expansion of business, generation of employment opportunities and broadening of the horizons of the people. Larger interaction with mainland India will only give our people more exposure and confidence to take their valley forward towards a better future.

The current Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu must be complimented for showing interest in this region, which for long has remained neglected by the dispensations in Delhi. In his brief tenure so far, Prabhu has shown the necessary intent to refrain from taking populist measures and initiate reforms to improve the state of the Railways. Let us hope he continues to do the good work and focus on further boosting the railway infrastructure in the entire north eastern region.

The ensuing monsoon, however, will be an acid test for the Railway engineers since it will be a major challenge to keep the Badarpur – Lumding section operational during floods and landslides. If the newly constructed tunnels and bridges can withstand the onslaught of nature, we can rest assured that our valley will not remain isolated from the rest of the country anymore.

Along with railways, now it’s time for the central government to also give adequate focus to the completion of the Silchar – Saurashtra Mahasadak and the modernization of the Kumbhirgram airport. The impasse regarding the forest clearance for a stretch of the Mahasadak near Harangajao should be cleared at the earliest.

In addition, if the government can announce the construction of a new terminal building at the airport or at least launch operations after sunset, the electoral prospects of the ruling party at the centre will improve significantly.

Problems aplenty on board the Kanchenjunga Express!!

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 16:10:00 +0000

The Kanchenjunga Express now operates from Silchar to Sealdah thrice a week. Though an absolutely ordinary train with a whopping 31 stoppages between Sealdah and Guwahati, this extension has brought much needed relief to the people of Barak Valley. For the first ever time 68 years after independence, our valley has got a direct rail connectivity to mainland India beyond Guwahati.

With the ensuing rail budget, we do expect the Railway Minister to extend this train to Silchar daily along with some more new extensions. However, the manner in which this train has been extended has left a sour taste among the people of the valley. Here’s why:

Initially, an announcement was made to send a link train of the Kanchenjunga instead of the main rake to Silchar, which would have meant that the passengers would have had to continue the age old practice of changing trains at Guwahati. Due to intense public outcry, the decision was fortunately withdrawn within a day and a direct train was started.

Now, even after the beginning of the direct Silchar – Sealdah services, one cannot book an AC 2 Tier ticket between the two places. While the sole AC 2 tier rake of the train does travel to and fro to Silchar, one can only book tickets in it between Silchar and Guwahati and not beyond. This clearly suggests that the Railways reckon that the AC 2 Tier coach should be availed only by the passengers from Guwahati.

Even the number of AC 3 Tier tickets available between Silchar and Sealdah are limited to only 32 and the quota is not befitting Silchar’s stature as the originating station of such a long distance express train. When the Kanchenjunga Express has four AC 3 Tier coaches in total and Silchar is the second most important station after Guwahati, why should there be such a miniscule number of seats for its passengers?

These apart, the lack of pantry facilities in the train is a major turn off for the passengers. Between Silchar and Guwahati, the train stops only at Badarpur and New Haflong and has a running time of about 12 hours, yet no thought has been given towards adding a pantry van to the train. Catering facilities at New Haflong are rather limited and insufficient to cater to the requirements of the entire train.

The central government wants to project the beginning of broad gauge services from Silchar as a major developmental step forward during the ensuing assembly polls in Assam. It must also be complimented for the rapid completion of the gauge conversion work. But these little issues need urgent attention, otherwise the good work done may not bear the expected results.

It is a pity that the people of Barak Valley have to struggle for every little piece of development. The lackadaisical attitude of the Railways regarding introducing new trains almost a year after the completion of the broad gauge corridor is another example of this unfortunate fact. With the Assam elections round the corner, the railway extension will be a major political issue.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is already trying to score some initial points by writing to the Railway Minister requesting the renaming of the Silchar station as ‘Bhasha Shahid station’ and extension of some trains such as the North East Express to Silchar. We, the people of the valley, would not mind the politicization, as long as it brings us the right results.

Making the elections count

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 09:07:00 +0000


External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during her recent visit to Silchar

With the state assembly elections a few months away, political leaders of all hues and colours are making a beeline for Barak Valley. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj recently held rallies and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi came over to inaugurate the state games. State level BJP leaders Sarbananda Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma are seen in the valley almost every week.

Obviously, the 15 seats in Barak Valley carry huge political significance for all the parties. The results in the region can massively impact the overall outcome of the polls. Therefore, it is not surprising that the political establishments in both Delhi and Dispur are keeping a close eye on the developments in the area.

However, the political activism in the region does not somehow match with the pace of development. The valley hasn’t seen any big ticket project in the last one decade and the state government hasn’t even bothered to keep the basic infrastructure of roads, electricity and health going. The completion of the broad gauge corridor is the only silver lining in an otherwise bleak picture.

None of the projects announced by Gogoi during his last pre poll visit – the thousand crore package, the Silchar bypass, the engineering college in Karimganj have come through. In fact, the projects are in complete doldrums and nowhere near completion. Similarly, the BJP run Silchar Municipality also has been a massive disappointment with its chairman allegedly spending more time as an advocate then the head of the town’s civic body. But despite the abject backwardness gripping the valley, the elections here regularly register very high polling percentages.

So, on one hand the participation of the masses in the electoral process is high, on the other, the accountability of the people who get elected remains abysmally low. There is no connection between the performance of our public representatives and their electoral prospects. People get elected despite not doing any work and many of our top leaders and their dynasties have thrived because of this trend. High voltage campaigns, communal polarization, exchange of cash and liquor, personal favours by cash or kind are the main tickets to political success here.

As another election beckons the valley now, how can we ensure that the outcome this time is different? How do we ensure that this time we ask the relevant questions to the leaders before casting our vote? How do we ensure that we make the elections count? We must remember that the political class would want us to remain ignorant and blinded by communal prejudices, but the intelligentsia of the valley has to ensure that this time the voting is issue based. The youth must become aware of the real problems facing the valley and cast their vote only for the candidate who is honest towards delivering the solutions. Here are a few ways to make the elections count this time:

Vote on the basis of issues not caste or religion: Despite all the backwardness facing the valley, the people continue to vote on religious lines. The poll mathematics is often not difficult to decipher since some areas are almost bound to vote for certain parties irrespective of the performance of their leaders. This makes the job of the candidates much easier and they intelligently play the communal card to reap dividends. This time, all voters must resolve to abstain from such tendencies and vote on the basis of issues. The community leaders must play a bipartisan role in this regard and help shape public opinion on the basis of merit and not religion. Various NGOs, pressure groups must raise awareness on this issue and influence the voters.

· Abstain from seeking personal favours from the political leaders: Another unfortunate trend in Barak Valley is that people tend to flock to the netas seeking personal favours. Since the government machinery is grossly corrupt and ineffective, the solution to many issues such as medical aid, a government job, a favourable transfer lie in approaching the leaders, which breeds more corruption. Unless people stop approaching the leaders for their selfish interests, the leaders will not be able to exploit the people without delivering on the poll promises made by them.

· Open sessions on electoral issues: Open debate or discussion sessions must take place at all public places where eminent apolitical intellectuals of the area can deliberate on the main issues facing the valley. Such programmes would help the common man on the street understand the real issues and take a decision accordingly. The rural voters must be especially covered and the villages must be visited so that they can also take the correct decision.

· Public debates for all candidates: All the candidates contesting the elections must be invited to participate in debates where they can elaborate on the poll promises made by them. Unlike the election rallies, in such debates, the moderator should ask them scathing questions about the problems of the region. Such programmes should be telecast live on television so that more people can watch them.

I am aware that the above mentioned solutions are idealistic and difficult to implement on the ground but at least let’s make a beginning. The intelligentsia of the valley, the prominent non-governmental organisations which do not feed on political funds and the college and university students who love their valley must come out to educate the voters and make a difference. The results may not be immediate but with sustained efforts may be the subsequent elections will witness different voting patterns. Come on everyone, let us at least try to make the elections count!!!

How bad is bad enough?

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 10:20:00 +0000

Within less than a month of the anointment of Narendra Modi as the nation’s Prime Minister and the supposed ushering in of ‘Achche Din’, Barak Valley seems to have plunged into an even deeper morass of backwardness.

On one hand, the Railways have announced a ‘mega block’ of services for the final leg of broad gauge conversion work from 1^st October, on the other, the arterial National Highway 6 (erstwhile NH 44), that connects the valley, Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Manipur with the rest of the country, has become virtually unmotorable thanks to the PWDs of Assam and Meghalaya, which are shining beacons of corruption and inefficiency.

To further add to the woes, national carrier Air India’s ATR services have been discontinued from Silchar from 1^st June apparently because the North Eastern Council has refused to pay the requisite operational subsidy to the airline company. The power situation also has not improved one bit despite the resumption of production in Palatana. While all these hardships have been inflicted on us by the Congress ruled governments at Dispur and New Delhi, the new dispensation certainly will have to take remedial measures if it aspires to be seen as a government with a difference.

Unacceptable: Condition of National Highway 6. Photo Courtesy: Dainik Jugasankha

Yes, we are all inconvenienced by these problems. Yes, we are all extremely frustrated with the state of affairs. Yet, we are carrying on with our mundane lives, compromising every moment with our basic rights as citizens of this country. We are cribbing, pleading helplessness and moving on.

But the question is why? Do we deserve to call ourselves human beings if we continue to accept such blatant violation of the minimum human rights? Now, things have come to such a passé that there are apprehensions that after the discontinuation of the railway services in October, adequate food supplies may not reach the valley, since the almost utopian dream of the Mahasadak is far from being fulfilled and NH 6 via Meghalaya is unmotorable.

Now when our stomachs will start going empty, will we finally protest? Many pundits have argued time and again about the possible panacea to Barak Valley’s problems. Some have suggested separation from the colonial rule of Assam while some others have suggested greater autonomy within the Assam government.

However, to us, the moot issue is the level of consciousness of the common people. If the citizens of Barak Valley continue to be as laid back as they are now, there won’t be any perceptible change even if the valley is carved out as a separate state or union territory because the same scoundrels masquerading as our leaders will continue to cheat and fleece us.

The real requirement at the moment is a concerted mass movement led by a new leadership that loves the valley. There are many democratic means such as the Right To Information Act and the option of filing Public Interest Litigations through which we can keep a check on the functioning of the government.

At the same time, we must completely denounce each and every leader who claims to represent the valley now. They are corrupt, dishonest and most importantly harmful to all us. Supposed stalwarts like Santosh Mohan Dev, Dinesh Goala and Kabindra Purkayastha have ruled this region for ages. But what legacy have they left apart from amassing huge amount of wealth and promoting their own scions?

In Uttar Pradesh, leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav are not exactly known for their pro development policies. Yet, even they have developed their home towns with integrity. But our leaders are so humungously shameless that they have not even bothered to do that. We now need new faces that have the right level of commitment and vision to take us forward.

But for that to happen, we the people have to change. In the last couple of decades, election after election, we have repeatedly voted on communal lines paying scant regard to the credentials of the candidates. This has turned the valley’s elections into sheer mathematics. Silchar and Karimganj constituencies generally vote for one particular party, while the minority dominated areas vote for another. Whichever candidate cracks the mathematics wins.

So, are we prepared to change this time? Are we prepared to believe that even if the candidate doesn’t follow the religion we do, he might still work for us? Only time will tell. After the collapse of communication, power, education, health and law and order, the last standing basic human requirement – food, now may become scarce due to poor connectivity.

In case, you are hoping that the government will do something to turn things around, you are wrong. Trust me, these leaders are perfectly capable of starving you to death since you have never dared to ask them uncomfortable questions or punish them for poor performance. They know that you might vote for them again even with an empty stomach.

Therefore, now the question is not whether Barak Valley should stay with Assam or not. The question is whether, we the people, can take any more shit from these buffoons. It is high time, we raised our voices or starvation might well be imminent!!!

Why Kabindra Babu's loss may not be a bad thing for Silchar.....

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 18 May 2014 12:00:00 +0000

The Victor and the Vanquished, Photo Courtesy: Dainik Jugasankha

Following the declaration of the Lok Sabha poll results last week, a section of Silchar’s voters have expressed great surprise at BJP leader Kabindra Purkayastha’s shock defeat. If the buzz around the alleys of the town and social media are to be believed, than the voters of this prestigious south Assam constituency were immensely keen on joining the ‘development’ bandwagon of Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi and Kabindra Babu’s defeat has put a spanner on those plans.

It is probably true that had the veteran BJP leader won this year’s polls, he would have been a strong ministerial candidate from Assam. In all likelihood, he would have managed a Minister of State portfolio at least if not more. In that sense, yes we would indeed be deprived from having a representative in Modi’s ministry.

However, barring the Modi wave, was there even a single reason to vote for Kabindra Purkayastha? As a three time Member of Parliament, who had represented Silchar for more than a decade and also had a brief stint as a minister with independent charge in Atal Behari Vajpayee’s ministry in the late nineties, did he have absolutely anything to show in terms of achievements? The answer is an overwhelming no.

When the tickets were being awarded for the Lok Sabha elections, media reports suggested that senior leader Ajit Bhattacharjee and Rajdeep Roy were strong contenders to get candidature from Silchar this time. Almost at the last moment, Purkayastha made great use of his contacts in Delhi and managed the seat against the will of a large section of BJP’s cadres.

Before the elections, almost every BJP supporter confessed that they would vote for him only because they wanted Modi to take over the reins. Otherwise, they had absolutely no confidence in Purkayastha’s calibre as a public representative. The poll results now show, that only the people of the Silchar Assembly segment voted for him in large numbers while the rural voters of the remaining assembly segments decided otherwise, which eventually sealed Purkayastha’s fate.

Clearly, thanks to the influence of television and internet, the voters of Silchar town were more Modi-fied than their rural counterparts, who voted on the basis of his non-performance as well as their religious and ideological considerations, which have always decided poll results in Barak Valley’s both the constituencies.

It would not be unfair to say that even if Purkayastha had managed to become a minister, he would have done precious little for the valley. His previous tenures as MP certainly suggest that. Therefore, rather than being too disappointed, let us try to identify the silver linings.

With this defeat, Kabindra Babu will now certainly fade into political oblivion. His ouster will now the pave the way for the emergence of new leadership in the party. We can certainly hope that somebody more dynamic will get candidature from Silchar in the coming polls and challenge the Dev dynasty’s hegemony.

Silchar is so hugely engulfed in problems, that our new MP, Susmita Dev has managed to garner the support of the people only by repairing a few roads and installing a few street lights. Though she does come across as someone with the right intentions, she has done nothing spectacular either as the chief of the Municipal Board or as the MLA.

However, to be fair, Susmita has shown the promise. Repairing of roads, maintenance of health and hygiene, supply of clean water are issues that have to be taken care of. But as the MP, she has to have a vision to take her constituency forward. How the infrastructure can be improved, how more jobs can be generated, how the valley can become power sufficient, how the connectivity can be improved etc are questions she has to answer.

As a young MP, she should not face much difficulty in convincing the new dispensation in Delhi. Moreover, as one of the only three Congress MPs from Assam, she should now have sufficient clout to get work done from Dispur. If she has the will, she will certainly have the way.

However, on the flip side, we can’t forget that she is also a product of dynastical politics. Such leaders often learn the art of clinging on to power without doing much. They also manage to turn political institutions into family fiefdoms devoid of any public accountability.

During his run as the Cabinet Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in UPA 1, her father Santosh Mohan Dev had a great opportunity to change Barak Valley’s fortunes. Despite holding such an important portfolio, he coudn’t bring even one PSU to Barak Valley. The roads and other infrastructure of the town were at their worst during those years. A drainage project supposedly brought by him was launched with great fanfare but it never took off.

Her mother, Bithika Dev, former MLA and Municipal Chairperson was also an epitome of inefficiency. Her promise of turning Silchar into ‘Tilottama’ is still one of the jokes in the town. Let us hope Susmita chooses a fresh approach to politics and charts a new path. She certainly has the calibre. But will she or wont she is the question....

Our Manifesto for the Barak Valley elections

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 16:42:00 +0000

The Lok Sabha elections are just a week away for the two constituencies of Barak Valley. Campaigning has reached a feverish pitch and many top national leaders including the Bharatiya Janata Party’S (BJP) Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi have already visited the valley to plead for votes.

However, like the earlier elections, this time also, personal attacks and mudslinging have taken precedence over the real issues. The leaders are deliberately trying to take the focus away from the issues and confuse the electorate.

In the past, the people of Barak Valley have wasted many electoral opportunities. They have repeatedly chosen incompetent and corrupt candidates who have done nothing to tackle the multitude of problems facing the people. Therefore, as the elections approach again, we have compiled our own manifesto, a list of ‘to dos’, which we think, our leaders must address, if they want to come back again to us for votes:

1. Completion of the Broad Gauge conversion project between Lumding and Silchar as well as the link to Agartala positively by 2015. Immediate commissioning of long distance trains to locations such as Kolkata, Delhi and Bengaluru. We do not want to sit in agitation again demanding these trains once the broad gauge is commissioned.

2. Completion of the ambitious Mahasadak project by 2015. We do not even want to know where the file is regarding the permission to carry out road construction in the Borail Wildlife Sanctuary between Udharbond and Harangajao. If we elect you, it would be your responsibility to get the job done for us.

3. Immediate repair of the internal road network of the valley. The Assam Government has happily taken over our national highways from the Border Roads Authorities. The new Members of Parliament (MPs) must ensure that the roads are maintained well and are not turned into money making opportunities for the sarkari babus and the state level leaders.

4. The Palatana plant in Tripura was expected to end Barak Valley’s power woes. But load shedding continues to spell havoc every evening. The MPs must find answers to this problem and at least initiate solutions.

5. Both our present MPs – Kabindra Purkayastha and Lalit Mohan Suklabaidya couldn’t even spend their entire MP Local Area Development Fund allocations, which is a shame given the fact that there is so much work to be done in both the Silchar and Karimganj constituencies. The new MPs must get this right and utilise their allocations adequately.

6. None of the candidates, contesting the polls seem to have any long term vision about developing the valley. Apart from the basic infrastructure issues mentioned above, there are various other issues such as unemployment, continuous migration of skilled and unskilled manpower, lack of entrepreneurial initiatives, acute lack of education as well as health infrastructure in the villages, rapidly deteriorating law and order etc. They must tackle these issues effectively if the region has to prosper forward.

7. Setting up of an Agricultural Research and Capacity Enhancement Centre so that our farmers get the best guidance to optimise their production. We have such huge unutilised agricultural land bank, which can be effectively utilised, if the farmers are guided properly.

8. Attracting greater industrial investment from the corporate as well as the oublic sector undertakings so that more jobs are generated. In fact, setting up a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) cum trade centre would be a great step forward.

9. Our proximity to Bangladesh must be utilised well. There should be both road and rail transit routes through which Barak Valley can reach mainland India without passing through the Brahmaputra Valley. The rail link through Mahishasan and the road link through Sutarkandi must be developed. However, to get these done, our MPs must have the courage to take on the leaders at Dispur, which they do not seem to have right now.

10. The Silchar Airport must be taken out of Air Force control or a separate civilian airport must be set up. Night landing must be permitted and we must get more flights to the Metropolitan cities. If Dibrugarh can get three daily flights from Delhi, cant Silchar get at least one?

11. All parties must make their stand clear on the issue of creating a separate economic council for Barak Valley or the larger issue of separation from Assam. A lot of our problems stem from the fact that we are treated as a colony by Dispur. Therefore, these issues are of prime importance for the future of the valley.

12. Silchar should get a centrally funded culture centre which will promote the study and research of local literature, music and other traditional art forms. For example, cant we have a museum on the Language movement of the valley with a research centre so that the future generations can know about the legacy?

13. The three main urban centres – Silchar, Karimganj and Hailakandi must get a facelift. Elaborate projects for the broadening of roads, drainage, installation of lamp posts, acquisition of land for creation of parks, parking lots etc have to be taken up. If such measures are not taken these rapidly growing towns, especially Silchar will choke due to congestion and pollution.

14. Barak Valley is one of the highest concentration zones of the cancer disease. Yet, apart from a privately run hospital, there is no other facility. A super speciality cancer hospital cum research centre must be set up so that the patients don’t have to travel to the bigger cities all the time.

15. Barak Valley is one of the highest concentration zones of the cancer disease. Yet, apart from a privately run hospital, there is no other facility. A super speciality cancer hospital cum research centre must be set up so that the patients don’t have to travel to the bigger cities all the time.

Given the profound backwardness of the valley, this list can actually run into a few hundred pages. But we will confine it to the above mentioned 15 points. Let us get together and try our best to convey these points to the candidates. Readers are also welcome to either add or delete from the list above.

Barak Valley's Colleges need better academic environment

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 07:45:00 +0000

Assam University, Silchar has over 50 affiliated colleges in Barak Valley, Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong districts. Photo Copyright: www.concernforsilchar.blogspot.com

There was a news item published in a major Delhi Newspaper, Hindustan Times (2.10.2013) that the Delhi University Vice Chancellor, Dr. Dinesh Singh made sudden inspections to some reputed colleges of the capital city, namely Hindu College, Ramjas College, Hans Raj College and Kirorimal College and found that a good number of teachers were absent from the classes.

He called for the class routines and could detect the absentee teachers. It was also reported that he and his team rebuked the principals for their negligence in disciplining the erring teachers and called for weekly reports from them.

The inspections made by the Delhi University VC is praise worthy and makes us wonder whether similar inspections can be made in the colleges of the valley as well, since both the Assam and the Delhi Universities are central government institutions, and have similar rules governing them.

The colleges of the valley have recently seen unprecedented development in terms of infrastructure, thanks to the inspections made by the NAAC teams of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Some of the major colleges are also receiving grants regularly from the UGC and other agencies, but such infrastructural development has unfortunately not resulted in any major improvement in the academic standards of the colleges.

Absenteeism from the classes by some teachers is a pretty old habit in some colleges of the valley which is severely hurting their decades old reputation as institutions of excellence. The Director of the College Development Council of the Assam University was asked about this dismal practice of bunking classes in colleges by some of the teachers but he expressed his helplessness in curbing the trend.

The tendency to bunk classes is closely connected with the practice of private tuition by the teachers in all the major towns. The income from the private tuitions is a roaring practice for teachers here. The principals of the colleges hardly have any control over the recalcitrant teachers who in many cases have political clout to back them upon. In fear of political backlash, the principals keep mum and show no courage to pool the erring teachers into submission to rules.

It is regrettable that these colleges had in the past many eminent teachers who are remembered even today. Everybody remembers Prof. Jagendra Chowdhury. He dazzled with his scholarship, erudition and personality. Why should a depression in the academic world descend upon the higher education in a town which had a good tradition of academic brilliance previously?

On the other hand, an undergraduate institution, Ramanuj College is showing brilliant results only through imposing discipline in the teaching faculty. Everybody should remember that our University must be a success story and without the help of the supporting colleges, this dream will not be fulfilled.

Nowadays, the teachers are looked after well by the government and they are not required to struggle hard for their livelihoods but the economic solvency seems to have had a negative effect on the class room morality. We notice a steep decline in the standards of honesty and concern for the students. Many bright students choose educational institutions outside the valley rather than wasting their talents here.

Our Vice Chancellor, Prof Somnath Dasgupta may emulate the example of his counterpart in the Delhi University, Dr. Dinesh Singh and discipline some of the best colleges of the valley. If the VC of Delhi University dares to rustle the ego of the teachers of the reputed colleges in the capital city, why can’t the VC of Assam University master courage to establish a semblance of discipline in the premier colleges of our valley which has much lesser number of colleges than Delhi. He may though have to risk a little unpopularity for taking bold actions. Already, the examination system at the undergraduate level is in a good shape and the teaching in the class room demands immediate attention.

A tribute to writer Ganesh Dey...

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 14:15:00 +0000

A few days ago, columnist Ganesh Dey breathed his last at his Pailapool residence at the age of 74 after a brief illness, long before the expectations of his readers had exhausted.

Pailapool, where he lived most of his life, is surrounded by a chain of tea gardens and is an enchanting environment from where a writer can get his materials abundantly. A popular writer like Ganesh Dey is no more and he will be sorely missed by his admiring readers.

We clearly remember his endless columns in the pages of the leading Bengali daily Jugasankha which entertained all readers. The Silchar based facile writer hardly had any scope to attract the attention of mainstream Bengali literature even though he had great command over the language and facts.

It is not the fate of Ganesh Dey alone; many writers with a robust hand in writing simply have faded into oblivion because of the dearth of adequate exposure. Ganesh Dey had the strength of the pen but he spent all his years in a small town and wrote for the local papers, which probably hindered him from catapulting into a national level literary name.

But he had a steady stream of loyal readers who were enthralled by his satires on the contemporary events. Many of us waited anxiously for his columns and his views on many contemporary issues.

A talented person having done his masters in any subject and getting a teaching job in a college was a great bonanza. From our records, we know that Ganesh Dey spent his life as a teacher in a college at Pailapool and had retired from the College as its Principal.

He had connections with all events in the valley and mostly expressed his opinions not merely as a description but infused his distinct literary style in it. The readers enjoyed his satires and rhythmic style. He was at his ease in the serious write ups too.

Our valley remembers our eminent souls but there is hardly any reward for the eminence. The institution of prizes are still not much to do justice to the litterateurs who have tremendously enriched the world of Bengali literature. Like another proud son of the valley, poet Saktipada Brahmachari, he will also be remembered and missed by all.

When Dey had started writing, journals in Silchar were much less and each one of them lacked circulation. The widely circulated daily news papers were not there and the Kolkata dailies were the only media available. Thankfully, the local news papers replaced the Kolkata papers gradually and the local talents got the opportunity to write.

A community can only prosper if there are enough quality writers capable of recording the events taking place there. We remember, the great language agitation of 1960 but there was no local paper worth the name which could describe the catastrophe in an authentic way. Ganesh Dey was an eye witness to the event. Many years later, he wrote about it. It was a brilliant and convincing anecdote.

From all accounts, we have, it seems that he harboured no fame for his writings, not even much recognition. Let us hope that his columns will be brought together as a book in the years to come…

Better Bus services required between Barak Valley and Guwahati....

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 08:18:00 +0000

Photo Copyright: www.concernforsilchar.blogspot.com

A bus trip from Silchar to Guwahati via the pristine Meghalaya hills can be a romantic poet’s dream journey. When the bus traverses through the zig zag highway on the lap of the nature, the mind indeed forgets all the worries of life….

However, the romantic in us often fails to take control of our emotions during these journeys because of the multitude of problems that confront the passengers during the approximately 12 hour long journey.

The bus services connecting the Barak valley with Guwahati form the very backbone of the transportation infrastructure of the southern Assam region. While the train services are even more erratic, the air connectivity is obviously out of the reach of most of the people. Approximately a hundred buses travel from the Barak Valley towns to Guwahati everyday and vice versa.

While this sector has emerged as a major money spinner for the operators running their buses, the lack of improvement in the quality of the services offered has been a major problem. Let us look at some of the areas where there is tremendous scope for improvement:

· Quality of the buses: The quality of the buses has almost remained the same in the last two decades even though this sector of the automobile industry has made rapid strides. Apart from the air conditioned Volvo buses, there are many more equally comfortable yet cheaper options available in the market today. However, we do not see such buses operate on this route. The operators blame the poor quality of roads and non-availability of parts and service for the non introduction of such buses. But when there is so much potential in this sector, why can’t the operators introduce high quality air conditioned services with better shock absorbers and other advanced technologies? The availability parts and services will surely become available with time.

· Fooding and toilet facilities on the way: The fooding and toilet facilities on the way at places like Adabasti and Ladrymbai are primitive and unhygienic. Some new hotels have come up at some locations, but they are also not much better. It is extremely difficult for women and elderly citizens to travel on this route because of these issues. Many state governments across the country create fooding and toilet infrastructure on major highways and earn good revenues from them. The hotel cum restaurant at Behror, on the Delhi – Jaipur highway is one such example. But the Assam and the Meghalaya governments have not yet shown such vision.

· Ticketing facilities: The ticketing facilities also continue to be old fashioned where you can only book tickets from the counters. If someone traveling from a bigger city to Guwahati wants to take an evening bus to Silchar, he has to approach a friend or an acquaintance in Guwahati or depend on the thugs for his booking. There are no online options available, which is weird for an era when even movie tickets are booked online. Websites such as www.redbus.com are flourishing today only by offering online bus tickets. Why can’t be the same replicated here especially when internet penetration is increasing every day.

· Overloading of buses: The buses plying on this route are often seen overloaded with luggage on the top, much beyond the prescribed limit. This makes the buses prone to more mishaps. Police and other enforcement authorities also do not control this menace due to corruption. Such a practice has to be permanently stopped to ensure the safety of the passengers.

We are aware that the pathetic condition of the highway, the frequent traffic jams between Jowai and Ladrymbai, the practice of inflicting night curfews by the local groups, robbery of the passengers are bigger issues facing the passengers on this route. We have also written on these issues earlier. Therefore this time we decided to focus on the measures that the operators can take to improve the quality of the services.

Remembering Timothy...

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 07:41:00 +0000

When young Timothy Sinha lived, guarding the Indian shores in Mumbai, probably very few of us knew about him. But now, after his martyrdom, we all know that Timothy was one of Barak Valley’s greatest yet unsung contributions to the cause of the safety, security and integrity of this nation.

The day, INS Sindhurakshak exploded into flames last month, most of us took it as another piece of news flashing across the television channels. Little did we know that in this explosion, the state of Assam had lost two of its valiant sons.

Like many of his age, Timothy was also a young and energetic lad with dreams in his eyes. While many of us chose to enter the corporate world, he decided to dedicate himself to the cause of the security of his nation.

While his commitment to his duty was unquestionable, he loved to live life to the fullest. Deeply religious, Timothy also was concerned about the backwardness and the problems surrounding his region. Therefore, we were not at all surprised to find him on the friends list of the Concern For Silchar facebook page.

Only a couple of days before the INS Sindhurakshak disaster, Timothy had uploaded his photo on his facebook page. The wide smile on his face showed how much he loved life. Alas, destiny had other plans in store for him.

Our hearts go out to the grieving parents of Timothy who are currently dealing with the untimely and unexpected demise of their son. But, they must be extremely proud that their son has laid down his life on the line of national duty.

It was heart rending to see his tri-colour draped body reach Kumbhirgram last week. Team Concern For Silchar express its deepest condolences to the bereaved family as well as salutes all its members for their unparalleled sacrifice. May his soul rest in peace….

An open letter to our Chief Minister

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 05:54:00 +0000

Photo Courtesy: www.tntmagazine.in

Dear Mr. Chief Minister,

Your recent contention that Barak Valley does not require a super specialty hospital has come as a huge shock to the people of the valley. It is indeed baffling that you did not find any merit in constructing a specialized health facility for a vast region which spans across three districts and has a population of over 40 lakhs. Moreover, the entire area is being served currently by only one medical college, which also has its own share of infrastructure and maintenance related problems.

We welcome the fact that you have requested the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad for two super specialty hospitals in Guwahati and Dibrugarh. We are sure that both these hospitals, when completed will benefit the people of the entire north eastern region. However, we are curious to know how, Dibrugarh manages to pocket all the high profile projects ahead of Silchar despite being smaller than Silchar both in terms of population and area.

Prima facie, it seems that Dispur doesn’t have too much of a liking for the people of Barak Valley and you shouldn’t be singularly blamed for this mindset. The chief ministers before you have also carried the same attitude toward this region. However, we would be happy if you can refute this rather serious allegation and convince us about the same.

This is your third term as the chief minister of the state. In the last 13 years of your continuous rule, you have done little for the valley apart from dangling the 1000 crore carrot in front of us. Recently we have read about the disbursal of the first lot of this amount for various projects. But given the atrocious project implementation track record of your government, we would not be convinced till we see results on the ground.

Before the last assembly elections in 2010, you came and launched a series of projects such as the Silchar bypass and the engineering college in Karimganj. Three years down the line, both these projects have not yet been completed. Apart from these and an already dilapidated yet underutilized inter-state bus terminus at Silchar, your government has done nothing significant for the people of Barak Valley. However the list of things that you have not done is pretty long. We are just listing a few of them here:

Your government has ruined the valley’s national highways ever since taking over them from the Border Roads authorities. Hundreds of crores have been sanctioned for their upkeep by the centre but nothing has improved on the ground.

Just after the official declaration of the construction of the Silchar – Saurashtra Mahasadak project, you declared a part of the Barail ranges as wildlife sanctuary. A decade down the line, construction work on this particular stretch hasn’t yet begun due to the lack of requisite clearances. The broad gauge conversion project is also struggling because of the same issue. Despite repeated assurances nothing has materialized so far and nobody seems to know the exact status of the clearance related files.

Thanks to the partisan politics played by the respective state governments at Dispur, today Assam is burning. One community after another is asserting its identity and demanding separation from the state. Therefore, please read the writing on the wall and refrain from playing regional politics which accords higher priority to one part of the state and neglects another.

Barak Valley has not yet whole heartedly joined the chorus for separation. But the murmurs have already begun. Therefore, avoid creating such unnecessary controversies and give to the people what they rightfully deserve as your voters and tax payers to your government.

Regards,
Team Concern For Silchar

Barak Valley handles communal provocation with great maturity

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 11:04:00 +0000

The people of Barak Valley have shown tremendous maturity and resilience by not succumbing to the evil designs of some miscreants who wanted to harm the secular fabric of the valley by fanning communal intolerance.

Indeed, Concern For Silchar salutes its brothers and sisters of the entire valley for showing tolerance which is unseen and unheard of in many other parts of the nation. We might be backward economically but the nation can learn a lot from us when it comes to the socio-cultural indicators.

Barak Valley has had a very long and illustrious shared history of the following and propagation of both the religions. Though the population of the valley is almost divided into half between the Hindus and the Muslims, there have been very few instances of communal tension between the two communities.

Even when the rest of the nation burnt due to communal violence, the people of this region showed great maturity and avoided getting into any major conflict with each other. Unlike many other areas, there is no trust deficit between the two communities which is the reason for our unity.

However, the recent turn of events have proved that vested interests are at work to spoil the peace in the region. We might have succeeded in handling this particular situation, but repeated provocations may ultimately result in escalation of tensions between the two communities.

Unfortunately, rather than launching a massive operation to nab the culprits, the state government seems more interested in earning political brownie points. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s allegations against Hindu right wing group Vishwa Hindu Parishad seem irresponsible and vested with political ambitions given the fact that no functionary from that organization has so far been arrested even after a week of the first incident at Rongpur.

The focus of the government right now should be on the immediate arrest of the culprits. The criminals who have committed such a heinous crime must be brought to book irrespective of which religion or organization they represent.

Criminals who have no respect for social harmony and the secular ethos of this great country can have no place in the society. The people of Barak Valley, irrespective of caste, creed or religion are united on this issue and will not tolerate any such attempt to bring the region to further disrepute.

Lastly, we must all pledge yet again to stand together and united against any attempt to break our communal harmony. In any case, we have enough issues to fight against and simply cannot afford any new nuisance.

The Curious Case of the Silchar - Dwarbond Road

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 09:14:00 +0000

Silchar - Phaisen Road. Photo Courtesy: www.concernforsilchar.blogspot.com

The students of Assam University and the residents of the villages near the campus have erupted in protests against the poor condition of the Silchar – Dwarbond – Phaisen road. Twice they have marched to the Deputy Commissioner’s office this month demanding immediate repairs of the road.

While immediate patchwork of the dilapidated road has already commenced, there is no clarity yet on the plans to reconstruct the road properly so that it stays in motorable condition for some years at least and does not give in within months.

While media reports have claimed that 22 crores have been sanctioned for the reconstruction and broadening of the road, some other media reports say that Cachar’s Deputy Commissioner GM Hazarika is still awaiting the government’s nod on the sanctioning of the amount required to relay the road.

Amidst this confusion, some documents available with Concern For Silchar suggest that huge amount of funds meant for the construction work has been allegedly misused in the last few years resulting in the deplorable condition of the road which carries thousands of students to the university every day.

· According to the North Eastern Council (NEC)’s website, the construction work of the Silchar – Phaisen road was supposed to be completed by March, 2013. However, it is common knowledge that the road has been in a terrible state at least for the last three years. So, if the work was supposed to be completed only this year, couldn’t the authorities force the contractors to repair the damaged sections again? Please check this link for further clarification: http://necouncil.nic.in/writereaddata/linkimages/MPRApril2013.pdf

· As recently, as July, 2013, the Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department, NEC has reported to the Deputy Commisioner, Hailakandi that “the works of the Silchar-Dwarbond-Gaglacherra-Phaisen road under NEC’s 10^th 5 year plan, 23 km in between 31 km and 53 km has already been completed and handed over to state roads, Karimganj and 18 km in between 54 km and 75.275 km has also been completed, remaining 3.775 km mostly surfacing work to be done which are in progress and expected to be completed by December, 2013”. Therefore, the construction work on the entire stretch is yet to be completed. So, why can’t the contractor be asked to repair the damaged sections? (http://hailakandi.gov.in/DDCMeeting/ddc_meeting_15_7_13.pdf)

· The above mentioned report says that parts of the road have been handed over to PWD, Karimganj already. But the question is, when the quality of construction of the said road was so shoddy, why did PWD take possession of the road? Didn’t they ask NEC to hand over the road in top condition?

· Moreover, when the road is located in Cachar and Hailakandi, why has it been put under the jurisdiction of PWD, Karimganj? It is obvious that Karimganj’s officials would not be able to travel to Silchar frequently to take stock of the condition of the road.

· Most importantly, when the construction work of the road with the money sanctioned under NEC’s 10^th 5 year plan is yet to be completed, under which head is the government sanctioning more money? Doesn’t it suggest that the main intention of the entire exercise is to get more and more sanction and make more money?

· Moreover, all road contracts nowadays have elaborate maintenance clauses. Didn’t this particular contract have any such clause?

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) which is spearheading the agitation must file multiple RTI applications to NEC, Silchar, PWD Roads, Karimganj and the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Cachar to get the replies to these queries.

In addition, whenever the construction work commences again, the JAC must appoint its own monitoring committee comprising of students, villagers and retired civil engineers to monitor the quality of work as well the transparency of the entire tendering procedure. We simply cannot let some unscrupulous people usurp public money so easily again and again.

Public Money is being looted in Barak Valley..

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 12:09:00 +0000

A German engineer who worked in the Konkan Railway project in western India had once said that, India seems like the richest nation in the world because of the manner in which its public sector projects are delayed and costs are allowed to escalate. Even the developed countries would not be able to afford such luxuries. The gentleman had also expressed dismay on the ease with which errant officials and contractors are let off the hook for shoddy execution of projects.

This statement is extremely justified and apt for Barak Valley, where thousands of crores of public money has flown down the river Barak and no action has ever been taken against any government official, political leader or contractor.

In fact, delaying a project has become a superb way to make money out of infrastructure projects. The modus operandi is indeed very simple – initially delay the project so much that it fails to meet the deadline, then take the corrupt officials and leaders into confidence and site some frivolous reasons for the delay to seek more funds and milk the cow as long as you can.

The foundation stone for Silchar's storm water drainage project. Nobody seems to know the fate of the project today. Copyright: www.concernforsilchar.blogspot.com

For example, the construction cost of the Lumding – Silchar broad gauge project has escalated about four times from Rs. 648 crores to a whopping Rs. 4,255 crores. In depth investigation might reveal that the project is being delayed intentionally to escalate the cost further so that more public money can be siphoned off. Similar figures would also emerge from the ambitious Mahasadak project connecting Silchar with Saurashtra.

Another common practice is the mysterious clearance of bills by the concerned departments for payments to the contractors despite poor and shoddy execution of work without adhering to the prescribed guidelines. Often our political leaders make loud announcements about the sanction of funds for projects but those very projects never see the light of the day. And even if they are finished, the construction quality is so poor that the public gets no benefit from them. However, quite inexplicably, the bills for these projects are cleared after the issue of the mandatory quality and completion certificates.

The now infamous coterie of political leaders, government babus and contractors has become so brazen and thick skinned that no amount of public protests or criticism deters or scares them. Take the example of retired Cachar Zila Parishad CEO Bahnishikha Dutta. The Assam Civil Service officer who is accused of siphoning off Rs. 1.43 crores from the Panchayat funds was arrested in Kolkata a few months back, but thanks to her high connections, she immediately managed a bail. No progress has been made in the case so far.

At times, to satisfy the public, fake tears are also shed by these unscrupulous people. Recently, Assam minister and Karimganj heavyweight Siddique Ahmed announced that he is going to sit on a hunger strike against the delay in construction of National Highway 44 (now HN 6) in his constituency. Ironically, the road also comes under the purview of the very government he represents. Isnt it a joke that he has chosen to sit on a hunger strike for a project which is being done by his own government?

Another classic example is the double laning project of the Silchar – Kalain road. The project scheduled to be completed by March 2012 is yet to be completed and whatever work has so far been done is of such poor quality that portions of the completed road are already showing signs of wear and tear. The engineers of the North Eastern Council (NEC), which is maintaining the road have been gheraod a few times by angry residents but nobody seems to have the guts to touch the Budhmal Baid owned ABCI, the contractor for the project, which enjoys tremendous political as well as financial clout in the entire north east.

As per some documents available on the Cachar district’s official website, NEC’s executive engineer (PWD) informed the district administration in November last year that the contractor for the Silchar – Kalain road has failed to make satisfactory progress because of “scarcity of forest material following ban by the Hon’ble Supreme Court”. Now if this reason is sufficient for the inordinate delay of the project than shouldn’t all road projects across the nation get delayed as Supreme Court’s verdict has to be followed by everyone? Indeed, the reason given could not have been more frivolous and idiotic.

If the quantum of loss of public money in various projects due to cost escalation and corruption is calculated in Barak Valley for the last five years, the figure would be at least three thousand crores. In front of such colossal loss, the thousand crore carrot shown by Tarun Gogoi seems insignificant.

Let us take a look at some projects which have proved to be milking cows for the racket of political leaders, government officials and contractors:

Name of the project	Project Cost/ Cost escalation	Status of the project
Silchar – Lumding Broad Gauge conversion project	From Rs. 648 crores to Rs. 4255.37 crores	The project was scheduled to be completed by 2006. Now the next deadline is March, 2015.
Assam portions of National Highway 44 (now called NH 6)	Approximately Rs. 200 crores	Repair works were carried out in different parts of the highway in both Cachar and Karimganj. Wear and tear visible in most of the repaired stretches within a year of work.
Repairing of Silchar’s roads	Rs. 63 crores from the Central Road Fund (CRF)	The fund was allotted during Congress leader Sontosh Mohan Dev’s tenure as Union Minister. Some funds were allegedly blocked by Dispur. Whatever construction happened was of such poor quality that no significant change could be seen on the ground. Subsequently, within a couple of years, the same roads had to repaired again with new funds.
Silchar Storm Water Drainage Project	Rs. 170 crores	The work was started by central PSU NBCC. They left the work midway. Nobody knows where the money went after the fiasco.
Silchar – Phaisen road connecting Silchar with NIT, Assam University, Hailakandi and Mizoram	Rs. 97.10 crores	The work was done in an extremely shoddy manner. Apart from the concretization of about 15 wooden bridges nothing significant happened as the new road gave in within months. The people of the region are already agitating for repairs of the road and apparently some more funds have already been sanctioned. However, NEC’s website shows that the work is scheduled to be completed by March, 2013 and was originally to be done by 2008. So, if the work has just been completed, then under which head has further funds been sanctioned?
Silchar – Kalain Road	Rs. 59.25 crores	Work was scheduled to be completed by March, 2012 has not yet been done. Locals have complained of extremely poor construction quality. Innumerable complaints to NEC officials and local MLAs have not helped.

· This table has been prepared only from sources available in the media. It only presents an overall picture. Concern For Silchar cannot vouch for the accuracy of the figures mentioned above.

Rs. 97.10 crores were sanctioned for the Silchar - Phaisen road. It doesn't look like a 97 crore road. Isn't it? Copyright: www.concernforsilchar.blogspot.com

The table above has only mentioned about the projects taken up in the infrastructure sector. Apart from these, funds come to the three districts of the valley under various heads such as education, irrigation, rural development, border area development etc. There are innumerable central government schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA), Indira Awas Yojana, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana etc. All these are nothing but milking cows for the coterie mentioned before. The upcoming food security bill will be another lucrative addition to this list. Despite provisions such as the Right to Information (RTI), there is very little transparency regarding the release of funds to these departments and their utilization. The ignorance of the masses to stand up for their rights further makes it easier for the corrupt lot to execute their evil designs.

Just imagine if all this money had been utilized properly in the valley. We probably would have figured among the most developed regions in the country….

Separate Statehood, not the solution: A reader's opinion

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 13:29:00 +0000

Last week, team Concern For Silchar presented before the readers an analysis of the merits and demerits of having a separate state or union territory status for the three districts of Barak Valley.

While many valid points have been raised demanding a separate territorial identity for the people of the valley, according to me the very practice of carving out new states within the Indian nation has to be abandoned immediately.

Currently there is no basis or guideline for the creation of new states in India. In fact, the modus operandi for getting a new state is simple – agitate hard and paralyse the law and order over a substantial period of time and you may well manage to get a new state.

The governments, both at the state and the central levels, have time and again shown that they respond to agitations which are violent and lead to breakdown of the law and order machinery. On the other hand, if your agitation is democratic and peaceful, you will never be listened to. As a result, today the central government is ready to talk to the Bodos and the Karbis while even the Chief Minister has not invited Barak Valley’s leaders for talks.

The very reason for which different ethnic groups are demanding separate states is lack of development and step motherly treatment meted to them by the state’s administration. However, our past experience shows that as long as the political and bureaucratic machinery is corrupt, separate statehood doesn’t bring in any positive change.

In Assam, the Bodos, the Karbis and the Dimasas have all managed to get considerable autonomy from the state government. Barring a few subjects like law and order and education, they practically govern themselves. But has such autonomy propelled the pace of development in these areas? The answer is an overwhelming no. The reports of a thousand crore scam in a small district like Dima Hasao proves how the money meant for development is being siphoned off by some greedy politicians and sarkari babus.

Some new states like Jharkhand also further prove that statehood alone is not sufficient to speed up the process of development. Another argument often given in favour of separate statehood is separate ethnic identity. But in a country where the language and culture changes every few kilometers, can we afford to have statehood for each and every community?

For example, in Assam, Karbi Anglong has a population of about 10 lakhs while Dima Hasao has a population of about 3 lakhs. Again, these figures don’t include only the Karbis or the Dimasas, but many other tribal and non tribal communities which live in these areas in large numbers. So, can a country like India with the second largest population in the world afford to accord statehood to communities with such miniscule populations? How many divisions will we have to make to satisfy each and every community?

Assam is not the only state in the country with multi lingual or multi ethnic populations. Almost all states have a similar demography. In West Bengal, the Gorkhas have been demanding statehood for a long time. In Orissa, there is considerable cultural and dialectical difference between the coastal and the western Oriyas. In Bihar, different regions speak different dialects such as Maithali, Bhojpuri, Angika etc. if such separatist tendencies are encouraged then where will this lead us to?

Our past experience also teaches us that granting of separate statehood has also not satisfied many areas as new tribal or ethnic groups are now asserting their identity and seeking a separate territory. For example, in Meghalaya, the demand of a separate Garoland is gradually gaining momentum.

So, what should be done to satisfy all the agitating communities? First of all, the central leadership of the nation has to stop dealing with such issues in a knee jerk manner and immediately take steps to bridge the governance deficit that these areas suffer from. Secondly, clear guidelines for creation of new states have to be laid which will notify that a certain amount of geographical area and population is mandatory for the creation of new states. For smaller communities, the constitution has to provide further cushion to ensure their rights and privileges, though there are many provisions already in place.

In Barak Valley, the agitation has to be issue based to ensure that all issues facing the people are suitably tackled. The demand for a separate economic council makes sense as such an arrangement will streamline the flow of funds for various developmental projects. We must also press for the recruitment of our indigenous people in the government offices in the valley. In fact, the top bureaucratic and law and order officials also should belong to the valley. Any violation of the language act should become punishable by law. The state assembly must bring in legislation to enforce such changes.

However, against popular sentiment, I would fall short of demanding a separate state for the valley. The political leadership here is extremely corrupt and even if a separate state is created, corruption will continue to remain rampant and development will continue to be in the back seat. Moreover, Barak Valley, being a border area will always remain demographically sensitive. If corruption paves the way for illegal migration, then the valley might become a haven for illegal migrants.

· This is a contribution from one of our readers as a response to our article last week. Team Concern For Silchar neither opposes or supports the views expressed in the article.

Union Territory/ State status for Barak Valley: an analysis...

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 04 Aug 2013 12:40:00 +0000

Following the declaration of Telangana as a separate state, similar statehood demands have erupted in various parts of the country. Assam is the worst affected among the lot with four different state demand movements completely paralyzing normal life in many parts of the state.

Apart from the agitations by the Bodos, the Karbis, the Dimasas and the Koch Rajbongshis, similar sentiments have also been echoed by many from Barak Valley. The Union Territory Demand Committee (UTDC) has also reiterated its demand of declaring the valley as a union territory.

Social media is abuzz with many threads discussing the merits and demerits of carving out a separate administrative entity for the three districts of Barak Valley. Therefore, we at Concern For Silchar decided to analyze the positives and negatives of the same and help the people of the valley towards reaching a consensus.

Why Barak Valley should separate from Assam?

· 66 years of continuous discrimination by the political leadership at Dispur: Ever since independence, the state level leadership of Assam has always ignored the legitimate demands and grievances of the people of the valley. Today, whatever Barak Valley has are mostly central government establishments such as the university, the engineering college etc. The airport was built during the British era. So, the medical college and polytechnic are the only state government establishments worth speaking about. Till today, the valley does not have an all weather road connecting it with the state capital. Most state government offices do not even have major offices here. For example, the PWD does not have a functionary senior than the Executive Engineer here. As a result of which, even petty road repair issues are sent to Guwahati for approval resulting in inordinate delays and corruption. Another major issue is the lack of employment opportunities for the youth of the valley. Almost none of the senior or middle management level jobs of the state government are given to the candidates from Barak Valley. Today, a majority of the employees at the government offices of the valley are from the Brahmaputra valley which is a violation of the policy of equal opportunities.

· Continuous linguistic oppression of the people: The Assam government continues to make efforts to thrust the Assamese language on the people of the valley despite repeated protests and the status of Bengali as the official language of the region. So, sometimes government notifications are sent in Assamese or sometimes, Assamese speaking teachers are sent to teach Bengali medium students in the valley’s schools. Despite many movements, they continue to be shameless towards pushing this hidden agenda.

· Geographical differences: Geographically Barak Valley is an extension of the Sylhet plains and is connected to the larger Bengal territory comprising of Bangladesh and West Bengal. The hill areas of Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong and the Meghalayan hills stand between the Barak and the Brahmaputra valleys. So, the amalgamation of the two valleys can never be a natural administrative set up.

· Separate history and culture: When the state of Assam was created by the British, the districts of Cachar and Sylhet were added only to make the new state revenue sufficient. The British were certainly not bothered about the cultural or linguistic gulf between the two regions. However, it is indeed baffling that such an administrative arrangement was continued with even after independence.

· Dispur’s scant concern for the infrastructure projects of Barak Valley: The Tarun Gogoi led government and the dispensations before him have never treated the infrastructure projects of the valley as their own. Therefore, Gogoi never ever expresses his concern about the lack of progress of the region’s two major projects – the Mahasadak and the broad gauge conversion work. His government does not even bother to expedite the process of giving clearances to issues related to forest etc. The state government also tries to block many projects suggested by the central government. according to unconfirmed sources, the proposal of a medical college inside the Assam University campus has been blocked by the state government.

· Barak Valley’s severe identity crisis: The identity crisis faced by the people of the valley is unparalleled and cannot be compared with any other linguistic group anywhere in the country. The entire country has absolutely no idea that close to 30 lakh Bengali speaking people reside over three districts in the south of Assam and they are as indigenous as any other community of the state. They are often branded as ‘Bangladeshis’ by their Assamese counterparts and are forced to live with such slurs and disrespect. The Bengalis of West Bengal also do not consider them to be their own. May be, a separate identity away from Assam will help us to have an identity of our own.

Why Barak Valley should remain with Assam?

· With such separatist demands, the idea of an unified yet diverse India gets defeated: With such demands, the very idea of an united nation full of diversities gets defeated. Creating new states or union territories on the basis of such micro ethnic identities is dangerous for the nation as whole. Therefore, we must think about the larger picture rather than focusing too locally.

· Better administration is the answer, not separation: At the heart of all the grievances which have been discussed, lies the basic issue of maladministration or misgovernance. A separate state or union territory cannot be the answer to these problems. After all, there is great probability that 50 years after the creation of a separate Barak Valley, the people of Karimganj might allege discrimination by the political leaders of Silchar and demand further separation.

· Sensitivity of a border region: Assam has suffered greatly because many supposedly Bangladeshi citizens have been allowed to illegally migrate and settle down with the help of unscrupulous leaders and government officials. If created as a separate entity, Barak Valley will definitely have the same problem. Linguistic similarities will infact, further complicate the problem.

· Presence of corrupt and inefficient leaders: Even if Barak Valley gets separated from Assam, the leaders representing it will remain the same. We all know that almost all of them are infinitely corrupt and inefficient. In a separate Barak Valley, they will get ample opportunities to make more money and therefore, the real fruits of progress may not reach the grassroots.

According to us, the above are the pros and cons of having a separate Barak Valley. We have tried to be objective and impartial in our assessment. Hope this will help us debate the issue better and take this issue forward….

Barak Valley, now a drug trafficking zone

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 07:44:00 +0000

Barak Valley’s crime graph has spiraled drastically upwards in the last couple of years. Crimes such as murders, kidnappings, rapes etc have unfortunately become very frequent especially in the rural areas. However, along with these heinous acts, another extremely disturbing development is the emergence of the valley as a major drug trafficking route.

In the last few months, many major seizures of illegal contraband drugs such as heroin, banned medicines, ganja etc have been made from different parts of the districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi which indicates that drug trafficking is a major business in the valley today.

Barak Valley’s strategic location near the international borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar and its relatively calm law and order situation makes it a convenient prey for unscrupulous drug peddlers, who quietly want to use the region as a transit to transport these illegal materials to mainland India and vice versa.

The region’s economic backwardness and lack of employment opportunities mean that the local youths also often succumb to the financial perks and agree to act as agents for the drug traders who operate from different locations in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Manipur etc.

According to media reports, the Imphal –Jiribam – Silchar –Guwahati route is one of the most preferred drug trafficking routes in the north eastern part of the country today. Responsible citizens feel that the local enforcement authorities are also hand in gloves with the criminals. Otherwise, the menace could not have escalated to such alarming levels.

These developments can have very far reaching ramifications on the overall social fabric of the valley. If this continues, the local youths will also gradually start getting addicted to these dangerous drugs, which hold the capacity to destroy entire generations.

Moreover, the revenue generated by such illegal trafficking can never be invested for positive ends. Invariably such money will get diverted into something illegal and sinister which may further fuel the already deteriorating crime scene of the valley.

Unfortunately, corruption is rife in almost all government agencies responsible for controlling these activities. Intermittently seizures worth crores are made but many suspect that in between these token seizures, drugs worth crores are also allowed to pass by. However, there is no substantial evidence to prove this allegation.

The government has to look into this issue immediately and initiate drastic measures. Barak Valley is located very strategically near a porous international border with Bangladesh. In such a situation, such trafficking can pave the way for more dangerous exchanges of illegal arms, explosives etc which will be extremely detrimental for the nation as a whole.

The citizens of the valley also have to be more vigilant now. Whenever, we travel by public transport or come across anyone with suspicious body language, we must immediately raise alarm and inform the police. A vigilant citizenry can help solve many alarming activities.

Some recent incidents of seizure of drugs (as per media reports) are:

Date	Seizure	Place
13^th September, 2012	Heroin weighing about 5,300 gms	Silchar, Cachar
11^th March, 2013	Pseudoephedrine Tablets worth Rupees 45 crores	Katigorah, Cachar
15^th March, 2013	Pseudoephedrine Tablets worth Rupees 16.59 crores	Dholai, Cachar
16^th March, 2013	Phensidyl Cough Syrup worth Rupees 72 Thousands	NH 44 near Baba Hotel, Karimganj
10^th April, 2013	Pseudoephedrine Tablets worth Rupees 1. 9 crores	South Krishnapur, Cachar
11^th May, 2013	Heroin worth Rupees One Crore	Silchar, Cachar

An Open Letter to Silchar's MLA

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 26 May 2013 13:40:00 +0000

Dear Susmitadi,

The thousand crore carrot that had been dangling over Barak Valley for the last three years, finally seems on the way to realization. Though no provisions have been made in the last state budget, but instructions have been given to the Planning and Development department to chalk out projects and forward them for the sanctioning of the funds.

If the media reports are to be believed then, you along with the other MLAs from Barak Valley also have held a few meetings to plan the projects. The upgradation of Silchar Cancer hospital, establishment of a medical college in Karimganj and further development of the Satindra Mohan Dev Memorial stadium are apparently some of the projects that have been discussed in those meetings.

However, as responsible citizens of the valley, we thought we should also articulate our thoughts to you regarding the use of the funds, so that you can get an idea about the desires and aspirations of the common people of the valley.

We will keep our suggestions strictly confined to Silchar town as your authority is limited to the confines of the town only. The following are some of our suggestions:

· Please make an allocation of at least 200 crores only for Silchar town, as it is the face of the entire Barak Valley. As the second largest urban centre of Assam, adequate care has to be given to its infrastructural development and facelift.

· The funds must be used to completely revamp the drainage infrastructure of the town, with special focus on the New Silchar localities. The storm water drainage project sanctioned during Santosh Mohan Dev’s tenure as union cabinet minister, is now lying in cold storage. Nobody knows what happened to the project after NBCC, the contractor left the project midway. Therefore, you must take initiative to earmark some part of the package for developing a robust drainage system which can also tackle the pressures of future urbanization around the town.

· The road network of the town must be improved with the development of new roads and upgradation of the existing ones. For example, the stretch from Holy Cross school to Ambicapatty point can easily be broadened to four lanes with a divider in between. The stretch from Ambicapatty point to India club via College Road and Vivekananda Road can also be developed as a two lane road so that it help in decongesting traffic in Premtala, Shillongpatty etc. Similarly, National Highway also can be broadened to four lanes so that it can act as a feeder to the upcoming Silchar bypass. These projects will not be difficult as there won’t be any demolition or destabilization involved.

Stretches such as the one on the picture, near Rangirkhari market can be broadened without any demolition. Photo Copyright: www.concernforsilchar.blogspot.com

· The parking facility at Goldighee mall has come as a huge relief to the motorists coming to the heart of the town. Please develop at least two more such spacious parking lots for the convenience of the people. The Municipal Board office complex can probably have one such facility.

· Make provisions for street lights across the length and breadth of the town including small lanes and by-lanes. Also innovative methods like solar panels can be thought of to make these lights functional even during load shedding. Our streets are increasingly becoming unsafe for the pedestrians, especially the fairer gender. During the load shedding hours, this sense of insecurity increases manifolds.

· The upgradation plan for Cancer hospital is indeed a praiseworthy idea. However, some provisions should also be made for the expansion of the Silchar civil hospital. It is the only government run hospital within the confines of the town and many patients find it difficult to travel all the way up to the medical college, especially during emergencies.

· Last but not the least, the state government should also acquire some land in the suburbs of the town such as Sonai Road, Meherpur, Ram Nagar, Chirukandi etc. so that whenever these areas become completely urbanized, at least some vacant land is left for the development of parks, market complexes, parking facilities etc.

Broadening of the road with dividers and street lights adds to the beauty of the town. Photo Copyright: www.concernforsilchar.blogspot.com

We do not know whether you will even get to read these proposals. However, if we miss out on bringing these changes despite getting the thousand crores, then Silchar will have lost out on a golden opportunity to set its infrastructure right.

Regards and best wishes,

Team Concern For Silchar

Violation of Language Act, rampant in Barak Valley...

noreply@blogger.com (concernforsilchar) — Sun, 19 May 2013 11:45:00 +0000

Like any other year, 19e May is being observed all over Barak Valley today as the ‘Bhasha Shahid Diwas’. Various organizations and individuals are paying tribute to those brave martyrs who had laid down their lives for the cause of their mother tongue ‘Bangla’ on this day in the year 1961.

Even 52 years after that fateful day, the martyrs have not been accorded any official recognition either by the government of Assam or the centre. The demand for their official recognition and the renaming of the Silchar railway station as Bhasha Shahid station have been long pending and the dispensations at both the state and the centre have not been very receptive to the legitimate sentiments of the people of this region.

However, much beyond these demands associated with the sentiments of the people, lies the issue of the current condition of the Bangla language in Barak Valley despite its status as the official language of the valley.

Section 5 of the Assam Official Language Act clearly states that, “Notwithstanding anything in Section 3 (that accords Assamese as the official language of the state of Assam), the Bengali language shall be used for administrative and other official purposes up to and including the district level in the district of Cachar until the Mohkuma Parishads and Municipal Boards of the district in a joint meeting by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting decide in favour of adoption of the official language for use in the district for the aforesaid purposes.”

However, despite these provisions, the language act is routinely flouted by the establishments of the Assam government as well as some central government institutions. Large sized banners announcing various welfare schemes of the Assam government have been put up near various government offices of the valley which are entirely written in Assamese. I wonder, what can be the purpose of putting up these banners when a majority of the population won’t be able to read or understand them.

Last year, following the declaration of the results of the TET examinations, some Assamese speaking teachers were sent to teach students in the Bangla medium schools of Cachar. Similarly, on some occasions, Assamese reading materials of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan have been sent instead of Bangla. In many Assam government offices, the signboards are completely written in English while the official language of the region is given a miss.

The banks operational in the valley are also equally guilty of flouting the norms. Plenty of ATM counters in the entire valley have signboards written in English, Hindi and Assamese. While the scripts of the both the languages are almost similar, there is a lot of difference in the way various words are spelt.

Faulty textbooks, misleading signboards of the banks etc are creating a new generation of Bengalis in Barak Valley who are unsure about the spellings of various Bangla words. Increasingly, parents are preferring to teach their children only English and Hindi. In addition to such a scenario, the flouting of the language act is further leading the Bangla language to doom in the region.

This article has not been written to create any rift between the two linguistic communities. In fact, the only way Assam can move forward is through the fostering of friendly ties between the Barak and Brahmaputra valleys. However, at the same time, the government and its agencies have to accord due respect to the linguistic rights of the people of Barak Valley.

The people of the valley also have to raise their voice against these injustices. The language martyrs will get their due respect and glory only if we can elevate Bangla to its deserved position in Barak Valley.