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59 km of land eroded in Sonitpur

By SHAMBHU BORO

TEZPUR, June 6 � For years, flood and erosion have been causing untold miseries to thousands of people in Sonitpur district. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries like Jiabharali, Gabharu and Belsiri are now posing a serious threat to lakhs of bighas of crop land and residential plots.

The people of Gohpur, Biswanath, Tezpur, Barchala and Dhekiajuli LACs in Sonitpur district particularly those who have been living on the banks of the river Brahmaputra, Jiabharali, Gabharu and Belsiri, covering a distance of more than a hundred km have expressed their strong resentment over the alleged indifferent attitude of government and even the local public representatives towards this serious issue.

Over 59 km of distance area have been eroded in Sonitpur by the aforementioned rivers till date which have come to light in an RTI report filed by this reporter here. During the last 10 years, crores of rupees have been spent for checking the problem but no any positive result is achieved.

According to the government record about 200 meter land have been eroded by river Brahmaputra in Arimora Suti, Paken and Saraibahi area under Gohpur subdivision in Sonitpur district while the water resource department sources disclosed that about 2 km distance of land have been eroded by river Brahmaputra in Behali-Silmari area under Biswanath subdivision.

Likewise, 4 km in Panpur in Biswanath, 5 km from Biswanath to Solmari, 1� km in Bhoojmari have been eroded by Brahmaputra river, while in Tezpur from Bhumuraguri to Jahajghat, Parbatia, Gabharu, Singri, Teligaon and Sitolmari areas falling under Tezpur and Barchala LACs in Sonitpur atleast 28 km have been eroded by river Brahmaputra. On the other hand at a time when 43 km land have been eroded by river Brahmaputra in the district, river Jiabharali has eroded 12.50 km land.

Record says that 2 km in Bordikorai, 3 km from Samdhora to Orang basti, 1� km in Singitoli, 2 km from Dikoraijan to Kuttamora, 1 km in Kurukani and about 3 km land have been eroded in Rajgar-Tengakhuti area due to the erosion caused by river Jiabharali. Moreover, due to the erosion caused by river Gabharu under Barchala LAC five hundred meter in Barbil, 1 km in Meghaijarani, seven hundred meter in Nabil, the people of these areas have become almost land less for their cultivation.

Equally, the Belsiri river under Dhekiajuli revenue circle in Sonitpur district has created sever erosion in almost 2 km distance in Keherokhunda, Besimari and it�s adjoining areas. It is remarkable that even after the lakhs of bighas of farming land, school, temple, government offices alongwith dwellings of people have been threatened due to the erosion caused by the aforementioned four river including mighty Brahmaputra and it�s tributaries Jiabharali, Belsiri and Gabharu during the last ten years the department concerned of the state government has not taken any proper measure to check the problem.

Hundreds of villagers, representing several families have since lost their homes and hearth as the land-gobbling rivers mentioned above inches it way towards the hapless realities.

Meanwhile, it is alleged that the state�s erosion problem persist even after crores of funds have been sanctioned following the indifferent attitudes of the department concerned and a section of corrupt officials. More importantly, to check the burning problem, though a big budget project naming �Geotextile� with the estimation of Rs 167 crore was ventured it has not been resolved as the member of the Brahmaputra board failed to place the same in the platform of central empower committee.

Likewise, the scheme of Rs 42 crore to check the erosion in river Jiabharali is yet to be executed due to the alleged siphoning of the sanctioned fund.

While exchanging views in this regard national organisations like AASU, ABSU, and AJYCP who have been demanding the centre as well as the state government for the years to declare the flood and erosion problem as a national problem to reflect the issue in the national level, said before this correspondent that with out a positive mentality of the government and the officials of the department concerned to deal with the issue sincerely the flood and erosion problem could not be solved here. �So we urge the government to make a through study over the issue and deal with the same reflecting a permanent solution towards it�. They maintained.

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