Satradhikar criticises PM for apathy
- No move to save Majuli A STAFF REPORTER TELEGRAPH INDIA Guwahati,
Sept. 10: The satradhikar of Bhugpur Satra in Majuli, Duttadevo Goswami, today
criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for making false promises to the
spiritual heads of Assam about visiting the island and taking proper steps to
stop erosion.
The Prime Minister is not at all concerned about the plight of Majuli. He
had promised to visit the island in January. Now it is September. He should not
have made false promises to people like us who have dedicated our entire life
to preaching religion, Goswami said.
He was part of a delegation of satradhikars from Majuli that had met Singh in
New Delhi in November last year. Singh had assured the delegation that he would
visit the island in January this year to take stock of the situation arising
out of floods and erosion.
The satradhikar said Singh had also promised to personally take up the matter
of protecting Majuli and take necessary action. However, he did not keep his
promise, and in the absence of any effective anti-erosion projects, the Bhugpur
and Benganawati Satras are now at the mercy of the Brahmaputra.
The river has already gobbled up over 100 bighas of the satra in the last
few years, the satradhikar said.
He said chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who had visited the island recently, was
reminded of the promise made by the Prime Minister. The chief minister has
assured us that he would convey our concerns to Singh.
Speaking of the threat posed by the Brahmaputra to Bhugpur Satra, the
satradhikar said the river, which was about a kilometre away two years ago, is
now less than half-a-kilometre away from the satra. If erosion continues at
this rate, it will soon gobble up the satra, he said.
The two satras and hundreds of villages fear that the river will soon breach
the ring bund on the Majuli-Bongaon road.
Goswami said if no steps are taken immediately, the satra would have no other
option but to shift from Majuli. But where do we shift? We have no land of our
own on the mainland, he rued.
Gogoi had reportedly rejected a proposal by the Benganawati Satra to shift to
the mainland. The state government is in no position to offer land to the
satra, he had said.
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