Statehood demand for Barak Valley, ACKHSA to launch mass movement
SILCHAR, August 10: The ripples of the ongoing separatist movements across Northeast are being felt in Barak Valley with the organizations pitching for separate Barak land, bifurcating Assam.
All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students’ Association (ACKHSA) in association with different organizations will launch a mass movement across the valley in support of statehood demand from this month.
Addressing a press meet held here this evening, Rupam Nandi Purkayastha, adviser, said that the people of Barak Valley have always been deprived and neglected by both the State and the Centre. Almost all the major projects in Barak Valley are being lingering having no assistance from the governments. Two major projects – Silchar Lumding BG and East–West Corridor have been dragging its feet year after year with volley of promises and assurances about which people are no more convinced, he added. “It is high time to raise our voice against all sorts of discriminations. We will mount a democratic movement across the valley for statehood demand just after August 15,” said Rupam adding that they will fight to last in support of their demand.
Citing the undue delay of two major projects – Silchar–Lumding BG and East–West Corridor, he said that the progress of development in Barak Valley has come to a halt owing to the “lackadaisical attitude” of the government. He said that Delhi and Dispur are least bothered about the completion of different pending projects which according to him would pace the overall development of the region.
Coming down heavily on the two MPs and fifteen MLAs, Asit Debroy, president of ACKHSA, said that the elected representatives of Barak Valley have to learn from the two MPs of BTAD who despite being an allied with the Congress raised their demand for separate state on the floor of the Parliament.
“Our elected representatives are least bothered about the development of their constituencies. They have hardly raised any problems of this region in Delhi.” He added to say that the silence of the MLAs and MPs indicate that they have an unholy nexus with the syndicate being active to scuttle the development projects.
Supporting the demand of ACKHSA, its adviser and founder secretary Anup Chowdhury said the grounds on which Telengana has been given the status of a separate state justify the statehood demand for Barak Valley which was raised just after the independence. Moreover, this valley has been completely different geologically, linguistically and culturally from Assam, he added.
Throwing light on the sources of revenue generation, Chowdhury said that tea gardens are a huge revenue sources, besides the valley is flooded with adequate natural resources. Soon after the decision of the Centre on Telangana, Barak Upothakya Banga Sahitya O Sanskritik Sammelan, has pitched its demand for the formation of Autonomous Economic Development Council for Barak Valley. On the other hand, the Union Territory Demand Committee (UTDC) led by veteran journalist Paritosh Paul Chowdhury has reiterated its demand for making Barak “a union territory”.
The leaders of ACKHSA today regretted that even after 66 years of independence, the people of this southernmost river valley have to go to the State Capital by plying over another State. They also expressed concern if the Karbi–Anglong and Dima Hasao were given the status of a state or ‘state within a state’ being the tribal dominated districts, the plight and anguish of the people of Barak Valley will be doubled.
Source: The Sentinel 11.08.2013
