Simmering ire of Kamrup's landless people

GUWAHATI: Playing the development card may not cut much ice with the 80,000-odd landless people living in the four constituencies of Jalukbari, Dispur, Guwahati East and Guwahati West under Kamrup Metro. Hundreds of families were displaced from railway land. They made numerous appeals to the chief minister to provide them with housing facility under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.But no one heard their pleas.
Disillusioned, they channeled their anger at their elected representatives, who they claimed, had done nothing for them though they had promised to take up their land rights. "Not a single MLA has raised a voice in the assembly on our behalf," said Pranab Goswami, president of Guwahati Mati Patta Sangram Samity.
Majority of these people live in the hills of Japorigog, Kalapahar, Narengi and Chunsali Khanapahar. The roads are in a bad condition and there's no proper sanitation and drainage facility either. "The roads are dusty in winter and muddy in summer. Our's is the most neglected area of the city," said Maheswar Boro from Japorigog hills.
Goswami said their representatives focused on big development issues, bypassing the basic problems of displacement. Guwahati Metropolitan Development Committee, an NGO, was the first to bring their plight under public glare.
"We elected many MLAs since 1980. They gave us many commitments about taking up our land rights. But they never finally did," said Naren Deka, a landless local from Batahghuli, adding that the city master plan for 2025 has no provisions for them.
Families from the area claimed that they had been demanding land rights since 1987. Others expressed their disappointment over the alleged misuse of funds allotted under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). They were promised housing facilities under JNNURM which never saw the light of the day.
On the contrary, those who were not displaced figured in the government list for housing facilities. "Majority of them have voting rights," said Tapan Sharma, vice-president of Guwahati Metropolitan Development Committee.
"Housing is our basic right, which the government failed to provide," said one of the affected. "We will give a fitting reply on March 16," said Goswami.