NORTH LAKHIMPUR, June 10 - A woman from Narayanpur in Lakhimpur district recently died in hospital for alleged delay in transportation to the hospital.
The victim, named Bobita Mili, wife of Arun Chakiyal of Chakiyal Sapori died soon after her admission to the Narayanpur�s Mahatma Gandhi Model Hospital on Friday.
A mother of four, she had been suffering from severe stomach pain since the last several days and had to be carried on a hand-pulled cart for 4 kms up to the Kachikata river from where she was transported on a hired car for another four kms upto the hospital.
As there is no brigde over the river, hence the people of the villages on the eastern side of Narayanpur have to endure the daily ordeal of crossing the river on small and unsafe hand-oared boats in order to travel outside.
The tragic death of the women has also brought to light the school-going childrens� daily ordeal of crossing a river which has no bridge over it in the rural Narayanpur region of Lakhimpur district.
The area which is hit by surface communication hurdles is Chakiyal-Nunibari, where all villagers along with school-going children have been crossing the Kachikata river on small hand-oared boats since the days of India�s Independence.
Nearby villagers also have to cross the river Subansiri, the largest tributary of the Brahmaputra, besides crossing the Kachikata river daily for their visit to Narayanpur and the rest of Lakhimpur district.
Children going to their alma mater at Chilarai High School, Janakalyan High School and Karpungpuli ME School have to daily cross the rivers on small boats oared by themselves without any safety provision.
Similar is the case of students going to attend Madhabdev College and Madhabdev Collegiate HS School in Narayanpur. During the peak monsoon season when the water level of these two rivers rise, students from these areas are often compelled to skip classes in their respective schools and colleges.
There are instances when the concerned students could not attend classes for more than a month during the monsoon season as the rivers were in spate.
Apart from the students, other villagers � mostly the weak and elderly, sick and infirm � find it arduous to travel to Narayanpur and other parts of the district for their needs.
Though the villagers of Chakyal-Nunibari and neighbouring areas of eastern Narayanpur have been demanding a bridge over Kachikata river since a long time, but the authorities concerned has been indifferent to their demands.
The tragic death of Bobita Mili is another stark reminder of the state�s apathy towards non-existent rural connectivity in Lakhimpur district.
