Balacherra-Harangajao Mahasadak becomes swimming pool for buffaloes

April 27: Sometimes silence seems to be more eloquent than speech, sometimes unwritten events brings forth more information than written sources and also sometimes a picture depicts the real story of the apathy of those at the helm of power. Such a picture attracted the lens of a social media user. A picture which portrays a sorry state of affairs, a blot on the face of digital human civilisation. However, probably the buffaloes immersed in the so-called pool of water would never ever wish that this pool of water gets converted into a modern road.

The picture in question is from the East West Corridor in Silchar Lumding section, which is popularly known as Mahasadak. It was clicked on 26 April, 2019 and posted on his Facebook wall by one Joydeep Chakraborty of Silchar. The location where the picture was clicked is at Harangajao. The condition of the road there is so deplorable that full-grown buffaloes could easily get immersed in the big pond-like pot-holes in the middle of the road.

The Balacherra-Harangajao portion of the East-West Corridor is made up of a total of 25.25 km. Of this stretch, 22.05 km falls in Cachar district and the Barail Reserve Forest also falls in this portion. The remaining stretch of 3.20 km falls in Dima Hasao. The Balacherra-Harangajao portion did not get clearance from forest division since the last few years.

The final forest clearance for the road connectivity project on the Cachar stretch was received on March 15, 2018. Till 2016 it was the responsibility of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). In May that very year the work was handed over to National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL). In December 2017, work was allotted to a construction company and a time-frame of 30 months has been given to the firm. Hence, the project is slated to be completed in June 2020.

So till June 2020, it would be party-time for the buffaloes. Concerned citizens have expressed serious apprehension that if the work gets further delayed, than a day may come when in place of buffaloes even the elephants can come for bathing in that portion of so-called road.