If you care to take a closer look at the demography of the region, you will find that the majority of the population are Bengali Sylheti who trace their roots to the Sylhet district of Bangladesh. In fact a majority of the people here are Hindu immigrants who have settled here after independence as well as during the ‘71 war. However the region also contains a sizeable Muslim population who chose to stay on in India. The town also draws some of its culture from the Mizo, Manipuri, Naga, Khasi, Dimasa, Hmar and quite a few other tribal people who have chosen to settle here from their hilly abodes surrounding Silchar. I don’t know whether the census reveals this, but the truth is that there has been a dramatic rate of increase of the Muslim population in this region while that of other communities has more or less been constant. The main reason behind this is the constant influx of Bangladeshi Muslim migrants from across the border. This trend started in the late eighties mainly due to the poor economic condition of our neighbour. However the centre as well as state governments turned a blind eye to it, mainly to counter the anti-foreigner policies by the AGP. However this trend gradually started taking up speed over the decades and has assumed frightening proportions at the present. Successive Congress governments very conveniently chose to overlook the issue as they began to enjoy the benefits of votebank politics. Not surprisingly the Tarun Gogoi govt fought tooth and nail over the judiciary’s decision to repeal the controversial IMDT act-according to which you were eligible to be a citizen if you could get your claim approved by any of your relatives who holds an I-card- as it continued to enjoy power. However now that this votebank has deserted your party and moved to more radical pastures I urge you to look at this issue with extreme urgency as it has the potential to the area into another Kashmir and more frighteningly – threaten the very idea of India.
The other day I noticed a madrassa on the outskirts of town named ‘Islamabad madrassa’ leaving no doubt as to where its loyalty lies.
The other significant problem affecting Silchar is communication-or rather the lack of it. The NH 54 connects the area to the rest of the country through Meghalaya. This highway which is an umbilical cord not only for the region but also for the neighbouring states of Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura is in dire need of repairs. Although Guwahati is only 315kms away the journey takes at least 12 hours to complete. Since the highway passes through mostly the mountainous areas of Meghalaya it is extremely narrow at most places. Thus one vehicle breakdown can bring the entire highway on its knees. The ‘Rashtriya Mahasadak’ – a pet project of the erstwhile Vajpayee govt-which promised to shorten the journey to six hours has become the source of a long-standing joke among the people. Work on the project has frequently been interrupted by the militants of North Cachar Hills and its completion still remains a question. However the story of rail connectivity is even more pathetic. The British had constructed a metre gauge line from Lumding to Silchar in the late 1890’s. Since the early nineties plans have been chalked by successive governments-both at the centre and stage-to convert this track to a broadgauge one. However since then deadlines have kept on extending, the new one being 2012. Some genuine difficulties have been faced over the militancy issue, but rumours have always floated around about the huge transport business owned by an ex-MP of your own party and his unwillingness to see the rail project being completed as it would mean a loss of crores to him. Now that the MP in question is a past force and the militancy issue has been resolved the project will be a true test of the government’s character and its earnestness. Since air travel is not a viable option for ordinary people the hardships that we face are immense. But you’ll have no idea of what I am talking about unless you have the experience of being stuck inside a bus for 16 hours at a stretch.
The above two issues are unique to the region and are extremely critical in nature. In contrast the following issues are common to any growing town of India but are of no less importance.
Silchar started developing as a town in the fifties and since then although the roads have remained more or less same the number of cars has increase manifold. This has led to immense congestion and severe need of new roads as well as that of parking areas. And I don’t think that flyovers are the solution as there is hardly enough place for any. So the town municipal committees and planners would have to put their heads together and come up with an answer.
Another problem engulfing Silchar is the lack of industry. Although the town does have a few quality educational institutions there are hardly any avenues for professionals to ply their skills. There is basically zero industrial presence in the region barring the Hindustan Paper Mill which due to lack of raw material has become the proverbial white elephant. As a result the educated youth has no future in the region thereby putting a question mark on the quality of next generation political leaders.
Silchar has always been regarded as an oasis of peace in trouble ridden Assam. However in the last decade there has been the immergence of quite a few terrorist groups in the region which have been creating trouble in the surrounding tea gardens. These groups if not checked immediately in their nascent stages will be a source of immense trouble in the near future.
So hopefully you will take a close look at the issues addressed above and take decisive action. And in case you don’t, we’ll understand your political compulsions. Because we have been used to disappointment!