NARTAP (KAMRUP METRO), March 14 - A sense of discontentment and of being let-down by their elected representatives might encourage more anti-incumbent voting in this area, mostly populated by tribal people and which falls under the Dispur LAC. With no thrust on any activities for development of this area in more than a decade, the voters have lost faith in the incumbent government.
This area, a cluster of 14 villages along the Assam-Meghalaya border, is yet to witness poll-related activities. Most of the villagers are a disillusioned lot, as there has not been a single trace of visible development in this area in the last 15 years. The condition of the villagers can best be described with the words �Waiting for Godot�.
Even the only lifeline of this area � the road connecting this cluster to the plains has been in a pathetic condition for ages, although repeated pleas had been made before the authorities. This area is deprived of all the basic amenities of life and the citizens have been long holding a grudge against the system.
�I am so dissatisfied with the performance of the elected representatives that I feel like abstaining from casting my vote. For decades we have been neglected and all successive governments have just ignored our plight. I have seen enough of political gimmicks to believe in the system, but nevertheless, one has to keep the hope alive and I definitely want a change,� said Konsing Rongchon, a local resident and who is also general secretary of the Amri Karbi Cultural Society.
Expressing his frustration, Konsing said that he and all the villagers have suffered a lot because of the apathy of the government. The villagers have been insisting on development of the only road connecting them to the outside world. A stretch of around 6 km of the road has black-topping and the rest of it passing through eight villages is in a dilapidated condition. Monsoon is the season of havoc and panic for the villagers. As the rains transform the road into a newly ploughed paddy field, school-going children, adults who have to go to the plains, and patients in critical condition have a harrowing time.
�No vehicle can approach the villages during the rainy season because of the horrible road condition. Patients have to be carried in bamboo stretchers. There have been instances when patients have died on their way to hospital,� said Konsing, adding that the present public representative of his constituency never bothered for the welfare of these tribal villages. Konsing said the need of the hour is to vote using one�s intellect and not fall prey to temptations.
Another youth, Leonit Ronghang, said it is time for a change. He said government schemes have never touched these villages. �Government schemes are just on paper. Here, there is no potable water supply, no government high school, no electricity. For years, we have been deprived and ignored,� said Leonit, adding that the villagers have realised how corruption has stalled the implementation of welfare projects. He urged the voters to vote in the coming polls to usher in a change.
