From Saurav Borah
DADENGGRE (West Garo Hills): The commute through the countless hair-pin curves of the 25-km stretch from Rongram to the market area of 49 Dadenggre Assembly constituency in West Garo Hills was smooth, thanks to the black-topped road, laced with silvery stone dust sprayed on Wednesday afternoon.
On either side of the neatly done-up road is a sea of green with acres and acres of plantations such as bamboo, betel nuts, cashew nuts, rubber, ginger and even tea in full glory, indicative of the farming potential that this resource-rich constituency is blessed with.
But Dadenggre has not lived up to its potential. Certainly not when it comes to schemes and their utilisation amidst the abundant plantations.
“The state government has given us some schemes for our cashewnut/pineapple farmers and producers. But not many have been able to use them properly, because of lack of knowhow and awareness,” Jengson Sangma, the nonagenarian nokma (headman) of Dadenggre said, speaking in Garo, subsequently interpreted by a local person to this correspondent.
Asked about the incumbent legislator’s work in the past five years, the headman said that he has been satisfied with the road repair done along the stretch to North Tura.
“Some tangible development in the form of the arterial road connecting our villages to Rongram market has been seen,” the village elder said, pointing at the newly done-up road amidst the hustle and bustle of the Wednesday weekly market.
However, the 90-year-old, when further questioned, opened up to the conversation, saying that the powers-that-be have not been accessible in the past five years.
“The common man can hardly reach them. They come here only after five years, that too before an election to ask for votes. Thereafter, they are hardly seen…They don’t come and meet us to know about our problems,” he rued.
Asked about his expectations from the would-be MLA and new government, the nokma said, “Whoever comes, he will be my MLA. But yes, I expect that the interior roads connecting the villages of the constituency are black-topped much like the arterial one. We need bridges too,” he said.
The village elder’s point of view was substantiated by Chengsin Sangma, a farmer who claims to be engaged in cultivation across 200 bighas. “We need more houses under the PMAY scheme. As of now, only a handful of villagers have been given houses under the scheme,” he claimed.
Chengsin further said that the villagers of Dadenggre have been demanding a separate district for decades now. “But this long-standing demand has not been fulfilled,” he added.
Access to all kinds of medicines too is a major problem for patients. There are six doctors at the community health centre (CHC), the only one for many villagers.
At the CHC, Ganak Marak, a resident of Darigri village, was seen carrying her nine-month old baby for vaccination. But the 41-year-old and a mother of eight, has one specific issue.
“I have to walk all the way from my village, carrying my infant at times, in the absence of cheap modes of communication. There are auto-rickshaws but they charge between Rs 50 and Rs 60 one way which is high for a big family dependent on small-time farming. My husband is a daily wage earner and making ends meet becomes a problem,” Ganak said.
Not too far away at Dadenggre Puri Government HS School, Amshrang Marak, 18, a Class XI student of the institution, was excited to finally become eligible to be a first-time voter. “Yes, I am a first-time voter,” he said with a smile.
Though not from the constituency, he said better communication was the need of the hour. “I have to attend classes travelling 18km from Bikonggre (Phulbari constituency). Today, I hitched a ride to my school,” Amshrang said.
Lack of internet facilities at the institution is another limitation. “There was an internet facility set up five years back but it is currently dormant,” he added.
Dadenggre is a constituency located in the West Garo Hills district and is reserved for individuals belonging to Scheduled Tribes (ST). It is a constituent of the Tura Lok Sabha. There are 35,783 voters in the constituency.
‘Straight fight on the cards’
By the looks of things, Dadenggre is set for a straight fight between National People’s Party (NPP) and three-time sitting MLA James Sangma and Rupa N Marak, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) candidate.
For his part, the sitting MLA has promised an Integrated Health Complex at Baljek (Jengjal), which will be the largest medical centre with the services of specialised doctors from Vellore CMC hospital.
James has, during his campaign, also highlighted the new road connectivity to the oldest civil sub-division and the establishment of a new civil sub-division at Jengjal.
On the other hand, Rupa N Marak is confident of a win as he believes that the days of a “divided house” among the other candidates are gone and more importantly, his support base has grown stronger.
“Last time (in 2018), I fought as an Independent and there were certain grey areas. But the scenario this time has changed as my contest will be only against the NPP. I have high hopes of winning as all the leaders who had contested in the last election are supporting me. It’s like we are putting up a united front candidate,” Marak told The Shillong Times.
“Besides, members/supporters who have left are supporting me….Moreover, not even a single person who supported me in the last Assembly election, has shifted allegiance,” he added.
On what he plans to do for his constituency if he wins, the 36-year-old said the creation of a district would be his top-most priority. “As a GSU president and the two-time chairman of the district demand committee, I had raised this demand before the MLA and the government time and again in various forums,” Marak said.
“Moreover, creation of employment opportunities for youths and setting up a college, which has eluded the students here, would also be in my priority list,” he said.