Anti-erosion body threatens 1000-hr blockade

BARPETA, Jan 2 : The Brihattar Pub Barpeta Brahmaputra Garakhahaniya Pratirodh Sangram Samiti has threatened to block the Barpeta-Chenga-Daulashal road for 1,000 hours from January 5 and lock all government institutions in the East Barpeta area to protest the apathy of the government towards the grave problem of erosion in their area by the mighty Brahmaputra.

In a release issued on Tuesday evening, the leadership of the Samiti stated that they have decided to implement a series of agitational programmes including ban on entry of political leaders in this area and boycott of the ensuing Lok Sabha poll.

The release lamented that in spite of such erosion continuing in this area for the last forty five years and destruction of several villages including the age old Chenimari and other villages like Barbhitha, Balidhari, Atiya Jatradiya, Balapara, Kaltali, Pazarbhanga etc. which counts to as many as 75-villages. Of lage 95% of the villages like Goma, Barbaradi, Phulbari etc. have been eroded. The existence of 555 year old Bahari Satra, Dakreswar Devalay established during Ahom regime, Bahari Bazar and the Tarabari Higher Secondary School is at stake.

The Sangram Samiti has been appealing to the government to check the massive erosion from time to time and has adopted some agitational programmes also. On November 14 last, a huge assembly of 10,000 people demonstrated in the office of the Barpeta DC and since then a series of discussions have been held with the government. The Revenue Minister himself assured the delegation of the Samiti in presence of the Water Resource Department officials that a scheme would be implemented at an estimated amount of Rs 22 crore and had advised the samiti to hold a meeting to inaugurate the scheme. But the meeting arranged on December 22 last became a farce as the Revenue Minister spent the time by story telling and did not mention anything about the scheme to be implemented. State Agriculture Minister Pramila Rani Brahma remained a silent spectator to the happenings.

Finding no way out the Sangram Samiti arranged a separate meeting on December 28 last and decided to implement a series of agitational programmes including a 1000-hour blockade of the busy and important Barpeta-Chenga-Daulashal-Hajo-Guwahati road and closure of all the government offices in East Barpeta with effect from January 5 next.

The leadership of the committee vehemently criticised the negative attitude of the government to such a grave problem pushing the lives of thousand of families to uncertainty. They urged the authorities to come forward with specific plans forthwith or face more stiff agitation in the near future.