Congress MP Gogoi seeks better connectivity for BJP’s northeastern ‘birthplace’

GUWAHATI

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has sought improved, disruption-free connectivity for southern Assam’s Barak Valley, considered the birthplace of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the northeast comprising eight States.

The BJP’s journey to ruling most of the northeastern States on its own or in alliance with regional political parties began in 1991, when it won 10 of the 126 Assembly seats in Assam. Nine of these seats were from the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley.

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However, Congress has stolen a march over the BJP by responding to complaints of neglect from the residents of the “landlocked” Barak Valley, which remains cut off for weeks at a stretch due to “broken roads, collapsed bridges, and landslides disrupting railway services”. The valley comprises three districts – Cachar, Hailakandi, and Sribhumi.

Several residents of the valley have been pouring their resentment on social media platforms. One of them, Mrinmoy Kashyap Sinha, said airline operators have been taking advantage of people forced to fly in and out of Silchar town’s Kumbhirgram Airport by charging “as high as ₹18-20K for a 45-min journey”.

“How will we survive like this?” he asked.

Taking note of the communication issues, Mr Gogoi sought to draw the attention of the Prime Minister to the hardships faced by the people of Barak Valley.

Fragile infrastructure

“The Lumding-Badarpur railway section, passing through the vulnerable hills of Dima Hasao, has now become synonymous with chronic disruption. In just the past five years, this stretch has seen at least seven major breakdowns due to landslides, embankment washouts, and fragile infrastructure. Rail service is suspended for weeks, stranding thousands,” he wrote in a letter to Mr Modi on July 10.

“Simultaneously, key highways – NH6, NH27, and NH37 – suffer repeated blockages from landslides and damaged culverts. The recent collapse of the Harang Bridge on the Silchar-Kalain route, despite ₹137 crore spent on repairs, reflects the fragile state of road infrastructure,” he pointed out.

Mr Gogoi, also the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president, said air travel has become the only option in Barak Valley, which “is in total isolation” after the disruption of surface communication routes. However, air travel is beyond the means of most of the valley’s 40 lakh people, with one-way airfare between Silchar and Guwahati being more than ten times the normal rate for flights between Agartala and Guwahati, he added.

‘Draw a clear roadmap’

Mr Gogoi urged the Centre to respond with a clear and time-bound roadmap, including steps such as landslide-proof railway tracks and arterial highways, an alternative railway corridor, and climate-resilient bypasses to ensure uninterrupted access to Barak Valley during monsoons.

“The people of Barak Valley have shown remarkable resilience in the face of repeated disruptions, but resilience alone cannot substitute for reliable infrastructure. I urge you to take this opportunity to ensure that Barak Valley receives the attention it has long been waiting for and deserves,” he said.