Guwahahti, April 21: Border minister of Assam Siddique Ahmed, made its maiden visit to Garbhanga village on Friday, in the garbhanga reserve forest that is just 18 Kms from Lokhra near the national highway. The visit of the minister has given some light of hope to people living in the Assam-Meghalaya border where localities are deprived of proper medical facilities, electricity, schools and roads.
The sad part of the story is that the neighbouring village on the Meghalay side has better facilities of electricity and schools. Due to the deprivation of the Assam Government and development programmes there are villages where Meghalay govt. has set up schools and provided water supply, thus Assam losing its own land.
The visit of the Border minister at times when the border dispute between two states have been raised again and again, specially in Meghalaya assembly.Regarding land dispute, the minister pointed that Assam is facing the land problem with all the neighbouring states like Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram since once it was a one state. However many border settelment cases are now in the court, added the Minister.
During the public meeting in the Garbhanga village,people opemly spoke about the their grivances, and critisis the political parties that comes to their village only during the election. The tribals , mostly belonging to karbi community have been residing in the these areas from centuries, but s till they do not possess any land documents. The villagers in their memorendum subbmited to the minister demanded land Pttas, roads, medical facilities and other basic amenities.
It is also mentioned about the people feelings as to why the villagers sometimes feel like going with Meghalaya for availing better facilities.
The villagers have got assurance of Rs.75 lacs for immideate developmetn of the main road connecting Garbhanga village to Lokhra, besides promising to help in other areas, likesetting up of a co-operative shop. In Garbhanaga reserve forest there are around 14 tribal villages, that has a population of around 12,000 includign 7000 voters.The villages in Assam-Meghalaya borders are always in the receiving ends, besides large numbers of trees being felled and smuggled to Meghalaya that is destroying the forest cover.(SP News)
