Skip to content Skip to navigation

All about a rural bridge

By Sanjoy K Kakati |

Can you just call it a bridge? Never perhaps. People, mostly, call it more a death trap and less a bridge at Hariamukh in Raha over the river Kolong.

The vital bridge made of bamboo started languishing in dying agony a couple of years back causing much inconvenience for thousands of people in the huge area of central Assam. They moved the authorities a number of times. But of mo avail.

“This is much to our major inconvenience of many villages as we have no other option. We have to cross the bridge when we go to our paddy field. What to do,” said Bulrani Kalita local woman.

“Despite repeated approach the things refused to improve. The bridge is now completely dilapidated condition,” she told Assam Times.

Same sentiment echoed in Dwipen Das who is no less concern over the lackadaisical attitude of the government forcing the villagers to bear the brunt. “We live beside the bridge in question. My heart trembles as soon as I see the school goers crossing it. We are running the risk of a huge accident,” said Das.

Thousands of people in this area of several villages have no option but to cross the bridge on the way to paddy field, market and office. Nobody knows what will happen at any moment. Will the govt own up the responsibility?

Author info

Sanjoy K Kakati's picture

Social activist, journalist from Roha, Assam.

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

NEHU faculty promotes North East at international conference

12 Jul 2017 - 7:42pm | Saidul Khan
A faculty from North Eastern Hill University (Nehu) today made an endeavour to brand Meghalaya and other Northeastern states of India as an “unexplored tourist destination”.  Speaking as...

Boy meets watery grave

1 Oct 2017 - 3:13pm | Ranjanjyoti Mahanta
A nine  year old boy met watery grave at a pond at a remote hamlet in Nagaon district casting a pall of gloom in the entire area on Saturday. The tragic incident took place at Aadhakhunda...

Foundation day of Moran Sahitya Sabha on January 29

18 Jan 2012 - 11:54pm | Anup Arandhara
The third establishment day of Moran Sahitya Sabha will be held at Kushal Nagar, Moran on january 29. On this occasion the fine-arts, debate and essay competitions for students are being organised...

Sharp vigilance along border

18 Oct 2015 - 10:04am | AT News Imphal
An alleged infiltration of militants from Myanmar has forced the Chandel and Ukhrul district administrations in Manipur to imposed 144 CrPC within three km belt along the Indo-Myanmar border.The...

Other Contents by Author

Nagaon accused loses tractor dealership

Raju Das, the Nagaon incident accused who deals in tractors in the central Assam district has lost his dealership.  In a letter, the International Tractors Limited has confirmed the action against him saying that the company will always prefer the local sentiments.  Das was the main accused in the entire incidents where his close associates assaulted a group of former ULFA rebels as they were raising funds to feed the flood hit people.

Ultimatum ends; AASU on satyagraha

AASU’s 12 hour ultimatum is over. Soobodh Biswas is still on the run 5 days after he incited the violence in Silapothat where a local AASU office was ransacked. The state’s influential student body is on a statewide Satyagraha in protest against the failure to nab the Silapothar culprit. AASU workers in the district and sub divisional headquarters started satyagraha from morning on Friday raising doubts over the sincerity of the government to hold Biswas. AASU served the 12 hour ultimatum to the chief minister on Wednesday.

AASU blocks road in Raha

The protest over the Silapothar incident refused to die down across the state where more and more people have come out demanding immediate arrest of the culprit. AASU workers Raha area of Nagaon district, in large number, blocked the National Highway No 37 on Thursday demanding immediate arrest of Soobodh Biswas.Shouting slogans, hundreds of protestors pledged to carry forward the agitation to deport the illegal settlers irrespective of religion.Talking to Assam Times, local AASU leader Sanjay Kumar Kakoti said that never they would allow the incident to go into oblivion.“We are ready to go to any extent if the government fails to nab Soobodh Biswas, the main culprit behind the attack on...

B’deshi go back slogan in Nagaon

Amid an escalating tension over the Silapothar incident, hundreds of people spilled into the roads in Nagaon town on Wednesday evening demanding arrest of Soobodh Biswas, the culprit who is on the run.Apart from 600 students, many other local residents also joined the torch rally organized by AASU who shouting slogans against the attack on the local AASU office in Silapothar.“Where is Soobodh Biswas? Why should he be spared? Hold him for exemplery punishment,”said an AASU protestor Mridul Hazarika.The AASU protestors further warned the immigrants to quit Assam irrespective of their religions and slammed to government’s move for citizenship status to the Hindu immigrants.“Forget Hindu,...

Salute to martyrs

The supreme sacrifice of the Assam agitation martyrs was remembered with deep reverence in Raha on Wednesday when the central Assam areas observed the Assam Agitation Martyrs Day.AASU activists in the area thronged the local Swahid Bedi and paid floral tribute to the martyrs in the morning. Local residents along with school and college goers also joined the occasion heaping huge praise for their sacrifice to make the state immigrant free.The occasion assumed significance at a time when the government alleged to have been trying to amend the citizenship Act to roll out red carpets for the Hindu illegal migrants, a process triggering statewide protest.

Guwahati master plan to change for AIIMS!

There seems to be no end of conspiracy to deprive Raha of the proposed AIIMS if the government affidavit before the National Green Tribunal is to be believed. In a desperate attempt to ensure the state of the art hospital in Jalah, the GMDA is trying to draw its master plan afresh where the controversial site in the outskirt go Guwahati might lose the green belt area tag. This would be the best possible way to get the country’s premier hospital in North Guwahati. According to the AAIMS Demand Committee leader Birinchi Bhuyan, the master plan approved in 2007 was prepared by an outside consultancy when VK Pipersenia was revenue secretary. “Now the same Pipersenia finds flaws in it. This is...

Shivratri in Raha

Shiv temples in Raha area in Nagaon district are also teeming with many devotees along with many other places on Friday on the occasion of Shivratri. From early in the morning the devotees started making huge queues at the Shiv temple premises to offer puja to the Lord Shiva, the god of death and destruction. Cultural functions are also lined up on the occasion. The puja us set to end on Saturday.

Blame Himanta for exam bungling

Education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is facing no less ire after the HSLC faux pas where many examination centres received Assamese and social science question papers instead if mathematics. AASU leaders and activists in many places burnt Sarma’s effigy alleging his inability to smoothly conduct the examination at 855 centres. Many AASU activists came out to an open space in Jamunamukh on Monday and burnt Himanta Biswa Sarma’s effigy and blamed it all on him for the bunglings. SEBA and Sarma initially refused to admit the question paper leakage incidents but after chief minister's intervention the examination was rescheduled.

Raha revives AIIMS hopes

Now its confirm. The proposed AIIMS us not coming up in Jalah in the outskirt of Guwahati reviving no less ray of hope for the people in Raha where it was initially proposed. The Raha AIIMS Demand Committee on Saturday submitted a memorandum before Union health minister JP Nadda urging the government to propose the country’s premier hospital in central Assam. The Union minister accepted the memorandum and assured the committee members of consideration if their demands. The minister recently told Parliament that the government has yet to finalise the site for the proposed hospital in Assam.

AASU’s hunger strike for textbook

Even after one and a half months the schools have not been able to distribute all free text books  among tbe students forcing All Assam Students Union to launch ten hour statewide hunger strike on SaturdayAASU activists in the district and subdivisional headquarters along with the block level are on a 10 hour hunger strike from morning to mount pressure on the government to ensure immediate distribution of textbooks in all primary and high schools.Talking to Assam Times, Raha AASU leader Mridul Hazarika said the education minister must break his silence. “He must take the responsibility. Our students must get free textbook immediately,” said Hazarika.The agitating students said that...