Absence Of Proper Bridge, Poor Transport Facilities Key Election Issue In Char Area Of Assam's Dhubri

Dhubri (Assam) [India]: Lok Sabha elections are to be held in Dhubri, Assam, on May 7 where one of the main poll issues is the problem of transport from the Char area.

Actually, these are the areas which are situated in the middle of the river. More than 100 villages are settled in the Char area of Dhubri. People living in these villages have to use a boat to go to Dhubri town. In the morning, school children also come from one bank to the other by boat, and then reach their school.

Gadadhar River is a short distance from Dhubri town, which merges with the Brahmaputra River. Many villages are located in the middle of this river. These are like small river islands. This area is called the Char area.

People can be seen coming and going here in boats since morning. The boat fare between the river island and Dhubri town is Rs 5 for each person. Every day thousands of people travel by these boats from the banks of the Char area to the banks of Dhubri town.

These include school children who go to school. Elections are to be held in Dhubri on May 7. During this time all the politicians are going to different areas and promising they will solve the problems of the people.

Media reached local residents of the Char area. Some people were going to school to drop schoolchildren. They revealed that the main issue here is to develop road traffic. "If a bridge is built over this river then nothing can be better than that," they said.

Parents of schoolchildren said, "When the water level of the river rises during the rainy season, the boat does not run at that time and during such times the children have to stay at home and study. They are not able to go to their school. There is also a lot of difficulty during medical emergencies."

Working people living in the Char area come to the Dhubri town bank every morning by keeping their bikes or cycles in the boat, and then go ahead for their work. The same routine is followed in the evening as well, and they return by boat. Schoolchildren also have to return by boat during the day. A parent also said that sometimes there is a danger of the boat sinking.

Some people of the village had also built a bamboo bridge in the past. That bridge had to be removed when the flood came. At present, people have also built a temporary bamboo bridge. But this cannot be a complete solution.

The main election issue of this area is that road transport should be arranged for them to connect with Dhubri town. The solution for this will be only by building a bridge.