Longchiui - yet to see the light of development.

Longchiui, a village only 3 Km away from the Umrangso, the only industrial township of Dima Hasao is yet to see the light of development. The village was established by the affected people of Kopili Hydro Electric Project as their ancestral village Sikilangso was taken by the NEEPCO way back in 1976. They were of course compensated but with a meager amount and with some long promises of development and other facilities.

The village is having 38 houses (mostly pile house) and 200 plus population. The villagers solely dependent on jhum cultivation, which provide them rice for only two months in a year. Earlier, they were having vast areas of wetland but after the establishment of NEEPCO project all of their paddy fields were submerged. The village is having a LP school, no water supply, no proper medical services.

Sri Ra Teron, 75 years old Gaon Bura of the village Longchiui, who still goes to the Jhum talking to this correspondent said the plight of people of this village were never considered by the authorities concerned for the reasons best known to them. ‘The political leaders visit the village only before the election and make some promises of development but after the election they never visit the village. Thus our plights remain unaddressed’. ‘We are living like animals not as the human; we are not having job opportunities except daily wages’. Is there any one to think for us? He asked.

Sri Sarthe Teron, a villager said ‘though our village is nearest to the Umrangso township but there is no approach road to the village, and being nearest to cement factory, the people are suffering from some diseases due to cement dust’ ‘This year, we did not get sufficient paddy as the rats have destroyed our Jhum, we cannot think of our sufferings in the days to come since we have none to rescue us from the crisis’ Teron wipes out his tears.