A high voltage yet hollow campaign…

 

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??

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

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…

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!!

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.