BARPETA, July 6 � The disciples of the ancient Bahari Satra in Barpeta district will sacrifice their lives if the Government does not take appropriate steps to save the historic satra from the onslaught of the Brahmaputra that has taken a serious turn of late.This was informed by Amiya Kumar Talukdar, working president of the Bahari Satra Garakhahaniya Pratirodh Samiti.
Addressing a press conference in the Satra to apprise the situation arising out of ongoing erosion by the reporters of Brahmaputra, Talukdar lamented that the Government had done nothing that is permanent in nature to save the lives and property of the riverine people of the south east Barpeta. Though the erosion by the Brahmaputra in this area is not new the authorities concerned have failed to realise the nitty gritty of the problem.
Talukdar and the other office bearers of the committee giving a chronology of the event said that the erosion in this area has been continuing for the last five decades and it had taken away more than twelve kilometres radius of fertile land area consisting of seventy villages. Historic business centres Tarabari and the famous river port Kholabandha have become a matter of oblivion.Lakhs of people have been rendered homeless and have to spend their lives in abject penury after losing agriculture land to the Brahmaputra. The river is fast approaching towards the satra established by great Vaisnavite Saint Sri Sri Harideva way back in 1453 AD.But the Satra is going to face the similar fate with the Maneri established by the same saint which was eroded several years ago.
They informed that the Government has assured time and again to save the Satra from the erosion by taking permanent measures which have not been followed in spirit. Even during the last one year the committee has met more than fifteen times several dignitaries right from the Deputy Commissioner of the district to the Chief Minister of the State who had assured of permanent measures only to be dishonoured by themselves. Even the matter was taken with the Government by a committeee of the Satradhikars of the district.Several officials including the Finance Secretary of the State and the chief engineer of the Water Resource department had visited the site for an on the spot assessment of the grave problem. In February last year, a delegation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of Water Resource Department, Government of India visited the affected area and acknowledged the gravity of the problem. They assured the suffering people to take the matter with the Central Government and the Central water Commission. But it is a matter of regret that nothing fruitful has been adopted till now.
After a brief respite last year, the erosion has begun fresh destruction and more than fifty metres of land have been eroded so far. Almost fifty families have been rendered homeless till now and many more are tikely to face the same fate shortly. Brahmaputra has already struck the embankment to the south of Bahari Satra and the Water Resorce department has adopted step to check it by binding some branches of trees cutting from the embankment itself.
The committee has also given an account of the corrupt practices of the officials and the contractors engaged in some previous schemes implemented in this area which had yielded no result except enriching the coffers of the officials and the contractors. The committee headed by Anandaram Pathak as president has decided to take a series of agitational programmes to pressurise the Government for implementing fruitful permanent measures. For this they have already begun a campaign among the people to be ready for a long term agitation to save themselves. During the campaign, severals Bhakats (disciples) of the Satra have expressed their willingness for self immolation . The disciples opined that they have nothing to lose during the last fifty years of onslaught by the mighty river and hence they will sacrifice their lives to awaken the Government in Dispur and Delhi from the deep slumber.
Apart from the president and the working president of the committee Harkanta Pathak Mazumdar, Ganesh Talukdar, vice president and Surendra Nath Medhi,Abani Kumar Das and Anupam Aniruddha Talukdar, joint secretaries besides a number of leading citizens of Bahari were present in the press meet.
