From Saurav Borah
MAHENDRAGANJ, Feb 22: The approach road to this constituency in the plains belt of South West Garo Hills along the India-Bangladesh border en route to the busy Mahendraganj Bazar can give commuters, not used to travelling across potholes and broken stone particles, a hard time.
On either side of the road are a few automobile service centres, an oil depot, and a few branded showrooms amidst an array of vegetable/fruit, electronics and grocery shops, apparently unimpeded by the poor, dusty road that becomes dustier after vehicles pass through it during the dry months and hardly motorable during the monsoon season.
Yes, like many constituencies in Garo Hills which still grapple with basic issues, the story in Mahendraganj, which shares a border with Jamalpur district of Bangladesh, is not dissimilar.
“The approach road from the tri-junction to the market area has been dilapidated for the past five years. The MLA comes here only at the time of an election. There has been no progress here,” rues 65-year-old Abdul Wahab Bepari, a trader and a resident of Nandichar Beparipara village, some metres away from the international border.
Mahendraganj has a total of 36,137 voters, with 17945 male and 18192 female. Along with Garo voters living primarily in the hills, there is a dominant Bengali-speaking Muslim electorate in the plains belt apart from a relatively lesser Hindu population in the plains belt and a Hajong-Koch electorate in the hilly areas.
Asked whether there is any problem of illegal infiltration from across the border, Bepari said that the barbed wiring of the border about two decades back had ensured zero influx. “Prior to that, there was a problem of illegal infiltration,” he added.
A few yards away, Taslim Miyah, 42, an upper primary school teacher, approached this correspondent and said that he was banking on the new government to address the two-year-old demand for a border haat at Nandichar, much like the one set up at Kalaichar.
“Surveys have been carried out three times since 2021. A border haat will facilitate inter-country exchange of products. Fruits, such as oranges and apples from Garo Hills will be sold and items, mainly plastic, will be procured from traders across the border. This way many youths will be engaged in meaningful employment,” Miyah said.
However, the teacher said that the constituency lacks good institutes, prompting many students to pursue professional and career-oriented courses in Shillong, Guwahati or Goalpara.
“On the other hand, our school lacks a science lab for practical lessons. There are no computers now as the three that were given to us are lying unrepaired,” Miyah said.
Floods occur annually in the plains, mainly in areas such as Nandichar, Tungrurchar, Majerchar and Silkona villages, destroying several acres of paddy fields there. “These villages are about a kilometre away from the river,” he added.
His thoughts were echoed by Clement R Sangma, a farmer in his fifties, as he sat on a bench in front of a vegetable shop at Chapahati Number 3 village, a few kilometres off the market area.
“Water flows from the streams in the hills to our village and inundate paddy fields during the monsoon season,” Clement said.
Asked about the central schemes, Subhadra Sangma, another farmer said that the scheme (PMGKAY) which provides 5kg free rice per person every month has been partially implemented.
“Besides, the housing scheme under PMAY (G) too has not been implemented properly. Even worse is the fact that the authorities have not repaired my house which was damaged by floods nor has adequate relief been provided,” Subhadra, who is engaged in cashew nut and betel nut farming, said.
“However, other schemes such as old age pension, mid-day meals for schoolchildren, etc, have been provided,” the 65-year-old said.
At the market area, Parimal Barman, 54, a tempo driver from Silikhaguri, was waiting for passengers when this correspondent approached him to know his issues and expectations from the next government.
“I am living a hand to mouth existence with this tempo being my only source of income. The MLA has given nothing during the past term. The schemes for the poor haven’t reached us,” Barman said.
The community health centre at Mahendraganj does not have adequate doctors not to mention specialists, much like many such centres across Garo Hills. “Worse still, the doctors are not available at times, nor are there adequate medicines,” Barman, a father of two children, said.
Relaxing in a paan shop was Amiya Hajong, a rice farmer from Malmua, who after some hesitation, opened up to give an account of his problems. “I carry out farming on lease and hence whatever income that I am able to earn is not enough to maintain my family. The scheme benefits are yet to be received properly and the MLA has been hardly accessible,” Hajong said.
Triangular contest on cards
According to reports on the ground, a triangular contest between sitting MLA Dikkanchi D. Shira (All India Trinamool Congress); Sanjay A Sangma (NPP) and BJP’s Tingku N Marak is on the cards come February 27.
“There are about 13,000-odd Garo voters and 10,000-odd Hindu voters and the outcome will largely depend on which party/candidate they vote. BJP’s Marak is likely to get a fair share of Garo votes,” said a trader, who did not wish to be named, in the market area.
When asked about which party he favoured, Clement was outright in his view, saying that he preferred a “double-engine government” so that central schemes are approved for the state and implemented properly.
On the other hand, the ground reports also suggest that the NPP candidate Sanjay has a good chance of winning and would give sitting MLA Dikkanchi a tough fight even as Trinamool Congress leaders from Bengal held a public rally in Mahendraganj on Tuesday, slamming the incumbent government in Meghalaya for allegedly “failing to provide the money for maintenance and repair of roads constructed during the previous term.