Connectivity - still a far fetched dream...

The thought of going to Silchar doesn’t excite me anymore. The thought of a home trip brings along an array of worries that include travel expense, hazardous journey and many other factors that we encounter on the way to our beloved town.

I might be accused of talking snobbish; a metropolitan moron who has recently migrated to a metropolis and now takes pride in looking down upon his native where he was brought up. But when emotions collide with the ground realities, most of the times emotions are forced to take a backseat.

I am probably one of the (un)luckiest few who stay near about 3,000 km away from their native. In spite of the presence of many low cost airlines, it is almost impossible to make a trip at a cost less than INR14000 per head (to and fro). There are cheaper means as well, but that makes you spend around 40 – 60 hours on road (one way) depending on which train you are travelling in; moreover, you are lucky if you don’t meet with the otherwise regular impediments like foul weather, landslide, bandh in the hill districts etc. Not to elude the physical strain that comes as inevitable given the condition of NH#44. 

Silchar, apart from being a district headquarter, inhabits a population of about 5 lakh and also acts as a corridor to three other north-eastern states. Sadly, Silchar doesn’t yet have direct air connectivity with any city outside northeast other than Kolkata; it is yet to get a direct rail connectivity with the state capital, forget about the national capital. Whereas another town in the upper Assam that claims to be of equal importance, Dibrugarh, enjoys both.

Silchar to Lumding broad-gauge connection still remains a dream. The foundation stone for the 201-km Lumding-Silchar gauge conversion project was laid in 1996 by the then Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and work was supposed to be over by 2006. Since then, many such targets were set and eventually missed as well. The Haflong - Silchar road which was considered to be a major means of communication between Barak Valley and Brahmaputra valley is now in a miserable condition thanks to the earth cutting & filling work in the name of broad-gauge connectivity. Though the distance from Haflong to Silchar is only 111 KM but it takes 10 - 12 hours to reach Silchar.

I really don’t blame those who ask me if Silchar, for that matter, Assam is a part of India. Their geography is poor, agreed… but with the amount of money and time you spend travelling to this part of the country, you can have a nice and hassle-free overseas trip.

The honourable Member of Parliament from Silchar constituency had recently staged a demonstration at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi demanding Silchar to Lumding broad-gauge line, which was widely covered by the local press in Silchar. Probably Mr. MP realized that the 2G and LIC Scams might bring the government down and another election might come calling… so better do something to keep my presence felt. After all, its the act that matters… who is bothered about the result?

Silchar never had great roads, but now it doesn’t have a stretch that technically qualifies to be called a road. Load shedding has been a perennial problem there, but nowadays residents of Silchar find a reason to celebrate when power comes back for a little while after hours of power cut. Walking seems to be a better option, as a Rickshaw ride gives you a weeklong back pain… 

We were brought up in a world where things did not change for years and we thought it was normal and natural. But after the first 22 years of my life, when I stepped outside, I realized the world was changing, economy was growing. I saw a world where basic necessities are met and people can think about the finer aspects of life. World outside Silchar (read north east) has changed, for better, and has been progressing at a fast pace. However, Silchar has also changed, but for worse.

But nevertheless, we crave for going there for the love of our native, our parents, relatives and friends. After all, we belong to the ‘island of peace’. We are nice people, we are happy with whatever we have, or rather don’t have.

Ajanta toothbrush snubs Dev B

By our undercover agent

Omnipresent


So Dev B is fuming after being snubbed by Ajanta toothbrush regarding a meeting. What a pity! Can you imagine getting up in the morning and reading from papers like ‘Jug-onko’ and ‘Sonar Aachar’ that the pathetic work department minister had a meeting with the top brass, including Pallamentary sackartary discussing Break valley specially seal-chair. After all for someone who belongs to a dynasty which is older than the now extinct Dinosaurs, feeding on the sweat and blood of the living beings of ‘seal-chair’, it can lead to a heart attack.

And it was not just the meeting but the discussion on the disbursement of funds for the road projects of ‘sealchair’ which left her fuming. I mean, how can they decide on funds, keeping her at bay. If she doesn’t have the know-how of funds it would be difficult to do things her way.

No wonder, she shoot a letter to MC Gogoi, expressing her angst at Ajanta toothbrush.

But then politics got over greed and she expressed happiness that Ajanta toothbrush is taking interest in the sealchair road projects and is now releasing funds. But who knows another crocodile might be at the corner. She also informed that work needs to be started asap as or else monsoon would be here any time. More over next Assembly elections are also on the cards and the party would face wrath.

The Break bridge in Sealchair is also in dangerous condition and Dev B has requested MC Gogoi to take interest.

I pity Dev B. The living beings of Sealchair have already lebelled her as absconding. It’s not that she minds that after all that is just the truth but to say it in as many words can at times shake the core of any good man/woman. So it surely had a double affect on her.
No wonder, still shaky she informed that to MC Gogoi.

Meanwhile, it is heard that Ajanta toothpaste’s visit to sealchair for having a real life experience of the roads have been put on hold after she was advised by EM Budda Roy and UDM DP Guuuaaalaa to visit after the roads improve. Needless to say, she will never get a chance to visit sealchair ever again!

#Ref

Over n' above friendship...

 A telephonic conversation between two very close friends, born and brought up in Silchar.. now working in some metropolis, at the backdrop of a marriage planned somewhere in upper Assam.  One of them is trying to convince the other one to attend his marriage, but the infrastructure and logistical issues of region seem to have outscored their friendship....

" - কিতা রে, যাইবে তো আমার বিয়া'ত ? 


 - না ভাই, পারছি না...অত দূর... শিলচর তাকি বদরপুর যাইতে জান বারই যায়, গৌহাটি কিলা যাইমু ? তার পরেও বোলে আরও ৬ ঘন্টা'র রাস্তা... এর তাকি তুই দিল্লী বিয়া করলে ভালা আছিল.. ওখানো যাওয়া সোজা | 

 - দেখ ভাই, এই এক দূর এর লাগি কেউ যাইতে রাজি হর না.. আমার বাড়ির মানুষ ও সব যাইতা না... তুই বেটা আমার ছোটবেলা'র বন্ধু, তুই ও যদি না যাস তে তো আর আমি আর কেউ রে পাইতাম না  |

 - কিতা করতাম বন্ধু... রাস্তা'র যে অবস্থা, যাইতে আইতে সব energy যাইব গিয়া | অতদিন ছুটি ও পাইতাম না... শিলচর বিয়া হইলে দুপর এর flight আই গেলাম নে আর তারপরে একদিন এর CL এ লইয়া বাকি টা সামলায় দিলাম নে | কিন্তূ অখন তো ২ দিন আগে আইতে লাগব...  তুই তর শশুরবাড়ি'র পাবলিক রে বুঝাইয়া কস না... রাস্তা খারাপ, যে কোনো সময় ধস লামি যায়... কোনো terrorist group এ strike ডাকি লায়, আবার হঠাত কোনদিন চাক্কা বন্ধ হই যায়... কয়দিন আগে ও পাঁচগ্রাম এর কিনার রাস্তা ধসি গেছিল  যার লাগি ৩ দিন রাস্তা বন্ধ আছিল  | এমন কিচ্ছু হইলে তো তোর রাস্তা'ত বা কোনো জঙ্গল ও চতুর্থমঙ্গল করতে লাগব... সবে জানে আমরা এমন জাগাত থাকি যেখান মানুষ এর life এর কোনো দাম নাই, অকর্মন্য এক সরকার.  এমন সময় একটু practical হইয়া ভাবতে লাগে |

 - আরে, কত বুঝাইলাম... কেউ কোনো কথা শুনতে রাজি না | তারার কথাও ঠিক, সবেই চায় মেয়ে রে নিজের বাড়ি'ত বিয়া দিতে..তারা  train এ যাওয়ার কথা কর, কিন্তূ train ও তো আমরার দিকে ভরসা করা যায় না... যে কোনো সময় cancell হই যায়, আবার কোনটায় বম মারিয়া লাইন উড়াই দেয়... ২৬ জানুয়ারী'র আগে তো এমনেউ যথেষ্ট রিস্ক আছে... কিন্তূ কিতা করতাম কও.... দুই পরিবার এ যুক্তি করিয়া ওটাউ ঠিক করলা.. অখন তো আর কিছু করা সম্ভব না |

- Flight এ যাওয়ার কোনো ব্যবস্থা করতে পারবে নি ? একটু নিরাপদ ভাবে যাওয়া যাইব...সময় ও বাচব...

- বহুত খরচ হই যাইব রে... তাও তো কোনো direct flight নাই... সময়ে ও মিলব কি না এইটার ও ঠিক নাই...

- তে ভাই, আমারে ছাড়ি দে... পরে নাইলে reception ও আইমু নে... জানি তুই খারাপ পাইবে, কিন্তূ আমার অবস্থাটাও বুঝার চেষ্টা কর | আর তোর কথাও ঠিক, flight এর খরচ তা একটু বেশি হই যাইব, তাও এক অকর্মন্য সরকার আর আমরার local নেতা ইতার faliure এর লাগি...

- ঠিক আছে, কিতা আর করা যাইব... তোরে ও দোষ দিয়া লাভ নাই, খালি তুই না... সবেই একই কারণ এ আইতে পারের না |  এমন এক বেতালা জাগাত আমরা'র বাড়ি..যার অবস্থা দিনে দিনে খালি খারাপ হর, উন্নতি তো ছাড়ি দে.. সরকার এ কোনো কাম করে না...  contractor ইতায় পইসা খাইয়া শেষ করি লায়, আর আমরার ভুগান্তি সইতে হয় |  ইতার লাগিই মনে হয় বাইরেই settle হই যাইতাম, নিজেরে অত হেল্পলেস লাগে মাঝে মাঝে |

- যাইতে ই লাগব একদিন, বাইরে settle হইতেই লাগব.. যেভাবে দিন দিন অবস্থা'র অবনতি হর, কয়দিন পরে আর বাড়িত আইতে পারতে না... পারলেও আইতে ইচ্ছা হইতো না... কোনো ভবিষ্যত নাই এই জায়গার |  Infrastructure , terrorism , development ... সব  ঠিক করা সম্ভব, কিন্তূ কেউ করত না, সবে নিজের পকেট ভরব, আর সাধারন মানুষে suffer করব | আমার নিজের অত খারাপ লাগের যে আমি তোর বিয়া'ত যাইতে পারতাম না... যদি একটা ভালা communication এর উপায় থাকত, আমি সবের আগে আইলাম নে |

 - জানি রে, বুঝিয়ার আমি... দেখিস, কোনো এক weekend এ দিল্লী আই যাইস... ওখানোই celebrate করমু আমরা | "

They somehow found a middle ground, but there is no denying the fact that it was nothing but a compromise !

While, they blame the Government and other relevant authorities for the miserable state of the valley, in my opinion, it is a collective failure of the community. Barak Valley might have hundreds of individual success stories to tell, but it failed miserably when it came to the community level. Not that only the political leaders are to be taken to task... we, the common men, are also equally responsible for this deterioration.  When the land needed its youth to stand for it, we preferred to play safe. We may well say that we did not have an alternative, but again, that's subject to another debate...

I guess it high time to introspect... 

Barak Valley declared Independent

(Some white lies that only tell the truth)

In an unanimous decision taken by the centre and the state government of Assam, the Barak Valley region of the state comprising the three districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi have been declared independent.

In fact, the decision was taken with such mutual consent that no meeting related to this issue was even organized by the state or central governments. The decision is interesting in the light of the fact that there is no secessionist movement going on in these districts unlike many other parts of Assam.

The preparations for declaring the valley independent was going on for the last few years. The national highways connecting the valley with the rest of the country have been left unrepaired and the railway link also has been virtually discontinued barring some intermittent services which get halted within weeks anyways either due to terrorist attacks or landslides.

However, as part of its long term policy to finally declare the area independent, the government has made no effort to improve the situation. The state government has also not spent any resources on maintaining the civic amenities within Silchar, the main city of the region. The roads, drainage, power supply, health facilities are all in a shambles as the Assam government was not keen on spending any more money for ‘this alien land’.

These ‘efforts’ made by the government have now rendered the valley completely inaccessible from outside. The air services run by the state run carrier Air India are still continuing but they will be removed in a ‘phased manner’, government sources said.

Though the public was not informed about this decision of the government, the two ministers representing the valley in the Assam cabinet, twelve MLAs and two MPs from the region were well aware about these plans. Therefore, they decided not to do any developmental work for their constituencies in the last few years.

The decision has got a mixed reaction from the people of the valley. The Senior Citizens Pratibadi Mancha has decided to organize a procession (michil) to protest against the decision. It may be noted that this organization comprising of senior citizens of the valley has organized more than 500 such processions in the last few months protesting government inaction on various issues.

As the valley does not have any youth based social organization, this correspondent asked a 25-year-old-youth about the ‘recently achieved independence’. The youth said: “I must pack my bags and leave for Delhi before they impose passport restrictions. The air connectivity also might be discontinued soon. I don’t have the time to do any andolan (protest) here”.

Another youth from the valley, working in Delhi said.”I have already booked a flat in NOIDA. I will call my parents here at the earliest. So I am not concerned”. 

Many separatist leaders active in other parts of the north east have expressed surprise at this government decision. “We have killed thousands, extorted millions of rupees from the poor, and still the government didn’t grant us independence. Rather they spent millions in making our people happy. And look at Barak Valley, these poor Bengalis have been given independence without any struggle,” a prominent separatist Naga leader said.

The Central Government spokesman was not available for comment as he was busy at the President’s dinner organized for US President Obama.

(Yes, these are white lies. The people of Barak Valley are among the most patriotic. They dont ask what the country has given them, rather they take great pride in being a part of the world's biggest democracy. But, are these lies too far away from the truth? Some food for thought........:)