JORABAT, Nov 21 - Fed up with the apathy of the administration that has failed to provide a concrete bridge over the Makar Beel to end road communication blues at Kapalkata and its adjoining villages at Sonapur under Kamrup Metro district, the residents of the area have warned political parties, especially the panchayat poll candidates, to stay away from the area until a concrete bridge is constructed.
�Enough is enough. No bridge, no votes,� said the villagers as they threatened to boycott the forthcoming election.
These villagers have no other option but to cross the beel via a rickety bamboo bridge, which too is constructed every year by the villagers themselves spending their own money. The villagers have been doing this for the last 30 years, say local residents.
While political parties come to the area begging for votes and making promises to construct a concrete bridge over the beel, they all forget about it once they get elected, the villagers alleged.
The lack of a concrete bridge has stagnated development in the area even as the residents have to go through a lot of hurdles on a daily basis. This has affected drinking water facilities, healthcare services and other needs, besides the establishment of an Anganwadi centre in the area.
�We will chase the politicians away if they dare to enter our village with fake promises,� residents asserted.
The villagers alleged that on many occasions, they had written to the then MLA of their constituency, Akon Bora, and other Congress ministers, but received only fake assurances in return.
The present BJP government, too, has not shown any interest to construct the bridge, they alleged.
About 200 students, including small children, face the danger of crossing the bamboo bridge every day to go to their respective educational institutions. Crossing the beel during rainy season is an uphill task for the residents.
Besides the lack of basic facilities, administrative apathy has also deprived several eligible residents of benefits available under government housing schemes.
It may be mentioned that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, while releasing the BJP poll manifesto, had said that his party�s main objective is to strengthen and support the people living in the rural areas of the State. Therefore, it will be interesting to see whether the government will address the issues raised by the villagers of Kapalkata, which is just a few kilometres away from the capital city.
