SILCHAR, July 20 � If the words of the locals are to be believed, the Masimpur-Dolu ferry ghat is in shambles. Despite government funds, this all important ferry ghat has been left in the lurch for the last two decades due to extreme apathy of the Inland Water Transport Department.
According to an RTI finding done by Asha, a local NGO, there are ten government employees at the ferry ghat. There are three regular boatmen, one helper and five skilled muster roll labourers who enjoy fat salary. But the report says that barring boatman Kamrul Islam Barbhuiyan, nine of them do their jobs only in papers.
Advocate and president of the NGO, Nazir Hussain Mazumdar said that as per the RTI, Rs 81,549 was spent in 2013 for the development of the ferry ghat. Interestingly, the revenue generated from this ferry ghat has only been Rs 8,000. �We received this startling information from DK Chakraborty, executive engineer at the divisional office of the IWT department at Malugram,� Mazaumdar said.
Mazumdar said that this is the oldest ferry ghat in the district serving the main link between Dolu Borkhola and Kalain. The NGO president alleged that it is only because of the lack of concern of the IWT department and the elected representatives that the ferry ghat has been tottering for a very long time. What is worse is that the people of the locality are left to suffer as they have to spend extra money to travel in a roundabout route.
Demanding an intervention, Mazumdar submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner stating that the ferry ghat must be made fit for the people to use, along with development in Topkhana Tarapur, Kumar Para and 13 gaon panchayats under the Borkhola Assembly constituency.
Also, the locals have alleged there have been hardly any development of any of the ferry ghats in the Borkhola Assembly constituency despite assurances by local MLA Dr Rumi Nath ahead of the Assembly polls, three years ago.
