TURA: It has been years since the villagers of Jongkipara A’king, located along the Rajabala-Hallidayganj region of West Garo Hills on the border with Assam and Bangladesh, donated land for a police outpost but it is yet to function.
The land was donated for the establishment of a police outpost to check rising crimes and for a medical health centre, but successive governments have failed to take any initiative to implement these crucial projects.
“Our Jongkipara A’king Nokma and Chra Depante had requested the state government to set up a police outpost because crimes such as murder and rape were being perpetrated by criminals who cross over from neighbouring Assam and Bangladesh,” recalled Jongkipara elder M Ch Marak. He lamented that in spite of the Nokma (headman) donating eight bighas of land for the police outpost many years back there has been no effort from the home department to utilise the land by setting up a police post.
“The eight bighas of land bearing Patta No. 5 at Jongkipara village was settled in the name of the Superintendent of Police, Tura. Many years have passed but no government has taken action to set up a security check. As a result criminals are being encouraged to commit crimes with impunity,” a worried Jongkipara elder narrated.
The village has become a criminal syndicate where the area’s rich mineral resources re forcibly extracted for illegal export to the neighbouring country.
In the absence of any police, vulnerable villagers have no option but to watch their valuable resources being plundered by armed gangs.
“Crimes don’t end with just the theft of minerals. These armed men enter homes at night to rob and sexually assault women, too. It is a very worrying scenario,” a frightened villager told this scribe.
In the hope of getting more government activity in the areas, the villagers together with the Nokma also gifted another ten bighas of land from the A’king land for construction of not just the public health centre (PHC) but also for accommodation of doctors and nursing quarters.
“Just like the police outpost even the medical centre is a non-starter,” mentioned a Jongkipara elder.
