So near, yet so far.
The Bangali Colony of West Haoibari Panchayat in Teliamura of Khowai district is located only about 50 meters from the Assam Agartala National Highway on which sleek and fast cars keep on zooming past or the massive lorries day in and day out transport all the important goods. Ironically , yet, it is not really easy to reach the Colony. The rivulet Chindraichhara flows in between and there is no pucca bridge over it. Only a precariously swinging bamboo made makeshift bridge is what that somehow manages to connect. All the 30 families of the Bangali Colony are cultivators of scented lemons- which is now being exported from Tripura. They have been for decades demanding a culvert or bridge over the rivulet under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. But in vain. Till date no Panchayat could meet their demand.
“Now Tripura’s scented lemons are going global and we are hopeful of making a good contribution to the fast increasing market. There are also scopes for better economic future. But the road communication problem, specially the absence of a culvert over rivulet Chandraicherra stands the bottleneck”, said one villager.
“How we could walk over the bamboo bridge that is precariously swinging all the time with our loads of lemons on shoulder?”
When it rains , the problem multiplies manifold. While children and youths can somehow manage to cross the swelling cherra for the elders it is a seriously highly risky an effort.
“ For the last 25 years we have been demanding a culvert over the cherra and everyone promised to look into our demand. But there was no step. Apathy continues”.
