From Saurav Borah
UPPER BAGAN: For several years now, residents of this Garo-inhabited village under Shillong parliamentary constituency have been breathing unhealthy air heavily polluted from industrial units on the other side of the Umtru river.
This correspondent could gauge the deteriorating quality of air while approaching this hamlet from another Garo-inhabited village, Dehal Bagan, via a bumpy, under-construction road from Byrnihat town, about 8km away.
As it is, it is a precarious situation.
“We are getting used to this smoke that billows out of the chimneys of these company-owned factories every day. It is affecting the health of everyone, primarily children and aged people. Besides, you can see layers of black dust-like particles on the vegetation at our residence,” Biju Rabha, a resident of Mikir Nongkhlah, a hamlet close to Dehal Bagan, told The Shillong Times on Monday afternoon, as he tore a portion of a black dust-layered banana leaf and showed this correspondent the kind of particles they inhale every day.
When asked if they had approached the powers that be and apprised them of this grave problem, Rabha said, “Not many times have they come here. They only come before elections and appeal for votes, ignoring the real issues. Besides, the industries that you see here have just a few locals engaged as unskilled or semi-skilled labourers.”
As another election approaches, villagers like Militha Marak, a mother of five, or Prisany Sangma, a grandmother now, are also concerned about the health of their children and grandchildren.
“Health is a concern as much as we are concerned about the vegetables we grow and sell in places like Byrnihat town and Guwahati,” Prisany said, a tad reluctant to disclose her choice of candidate or party.
The entire stretch from Harley Bagan near the town to Upper Bagan is surrounded by farm lands, vegetation and plantations such as bamboo, betel nuts and banana trees, with farming remaining the mainstay for residents.
According to Abraham S Sangma, a retired policeman from Dehal Bagan, there would be about 33 Garo villages in the Byrnihat area along with a few other Khasi, Rabha and Nepali villages. In Jirang Assembly constituency, there would be about 280 villages, he says, adding that a majority of them are Garo voters.
“The choice in Jirang Assembly constituency would be somewhat divided between the Congress and MDA common candidate. But Lok Sabha elections are different from Assembly or district council polls, as the latter concerns local issues. The MP that we elect would represent our constituency in Delhi. But we want a change of government at the Centre as we are opposed to some of the policies of the BJP-led government, primarily its intent on passing the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament,” Abraham said.
Asked about the basic issues apart from pollution, he said, “Water supply has been a problem as in our village we only have one PHE tank catering to 123 families now. Load shedding too is an issue. Then again, even as the kutcha road that passes through our village to Upper Bagan is now being repaired, but for many years, communicating through the dilapidated stretch has been a harrowing experience, particularly during monsoon.”
He further added that it was about time that the Dehal Bagan Lower Primary School, set up in 1992, was upgraded to upper primary.
Lispat Sangma, a 38-year-old resident of Upper Bagan, rues, “We do not have any government school in our village. It is taxing as we cannot afford education for our kids at the missionary school in Harley Bagan. Besides, development has been patchy. The sitting MP had promised Rs 15 lakh for renovation of the Dorbar hall here five years back. The promise has not been fulfilled as yet.”
There are a number of students who have dropped out as well for either not been able to cope with their curriculum or medical reasons.
“I studied till Class IX and now drive a van given by my father to ferry school children from Harley Bagan to Upper Bagan. This way I make a few bucks every day. I know that there are no jobs for school dropouts,” said 19-year-old Kailash Sangma, who will be voting for the second time, come Thursday.
Not that there are no signs of progress, but it has been scattered.
“We are lucky to have a Prime Minister Awas Yojana house with Rs 130, 000 sanctioned under the scheme for the villagers during 2016-17 as not all beneficiaries have been fortunate as yet,” Bhubon Marak, an elderly man of Upper Bagan said, pointing towards the blue structure.
