UPPER ASSAM
News Letter
Obviously, the Congress says the Double Engine Govt has failed in Assam. The BJP 'Karyakartas' and supporters counter this contention and as an enthusiastic Mrs Sangita at a Momo counter at Marghertia
says:
"Come what may, I will remain Modi fan because he gave us roads, house and also Digital India so that money is safe".
Assam's Digboi is world famous for oil. Doom Dooma - a hub of tea gardens and tea business and Margherita - a coal land. Yet these three pockets in Upper Assam have issues vis-a-vis development and there are reports of crisis of drinking water, joblessness and absence of new industrial units.
Miracles were promised in 2014 -- the 'achhey din' at the national level. In 2016, the saffron party came to power in Assam -- and that was for the first time.
Yet certain issues remain and would need corrective steps -- both administrative and political.
The coal business in Margherita experienced significant losses due to mine closures, illegal mining, and a decline in coal production.
A study by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur found that many coal workers and residents of Margherita lost their jobs or saw their income decrease after mine closures.
Some say that coal mafias are involved in illegal mining and that innocent people die as a result.
The study also found that many people took up odd jobs or faced business recession.
Some say that economic diversification is a potential way to mitigate the consequences of mine closures.
Illegal mining and transportation of coal in the Margherita area is estimated to cost the government millions of rupees per month.
Illegal miners and traders hire local residents, including women and children, to dig coal.
Clutching her dreams, G Swaramma (60) moved to Assam's Margherita as a young bride around 45 years ago. An Andhra Pradesh native, she now regrets her marriage to a worker in Namdang colliery. She had to work at home and outside.
Her husband would often fall sick working underground and she would then go in his stead. Compounding her woes, her husband died within a decade of marriage, leaving her with two children to raise.
(2023 report by IANS)
She also had said:
"Work in the mine causes extreme health hazards that one cannot recover from. There is no life here.
My son lost his contract work after Borgolai colliery stopped operations. Since then, I have been taking up multiple jobs. In the mornings, my daughter and I collect and sell coal pieces to agents. In the evenings, I sell fish that I catch from small ponds here".
The fact of the matter is that the permanent workers in the North Eastern Coalfields (NEC), a Coal India Limited (CIL) venture, were transferred to other locations or posted in various positions in Margherita itself when the mine closed.
However, the workers on contract had nowhere to go.
They were not given enough time to move out or prepare for their future.
Last week, the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has accused the BJP government in Assam and local police of failing to take effective action against the widespread illegal coal mining in Margherita.
It claimed that in a "surprise inspection", the AJP General Secretary Jagdish Bhuyan, along with a tribal group from the National Council, found several illegal mining sites in Ledo and Ledo Deepmine.
Bhuyan revealed that more than 60 illegal coal reserves are operating in the region, close to Coal India and North Eastern Coalfields (NECF) areas, leading to significant revenue losses. He expressed concern over the government’s inaction, which has allowed these illegal activities to continue unabated.
Locals in Margherita echo these feelings and also hastened to add that - "Things are worsening by every week as people are getting frustrated as they are left without alternative jobs".
In Tinsukia, Premendu De, a retired educationist, told this blogger: "The tragedy is there is a systematic neglect of people's issues. Hence, we have similar problems in all hubs of erstwhile economic prosperity - Digboi, Margherita and Doom Dooma".
Other citizens say - It is sad that both the Congress and the BJP did not learn any lesson from the crisis generated by the ULFA in the 1990s.
Even in Doom Dooma, market sources say the tea business has faced losses due to a number of factors, including adverse weather conditions, excess supply, and high social costs.
It is also understood that inclement weather conditions can lead to decreased production and sales.
Moreover, "excess supply" has also from time to time led to low prices at auctions.
Another analyst said - High social costs can also contribute to losses.
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| Blogger |
Assam Company India Limited, formerly known as the Assam Tea Company was the first tea company in Assam set up by the colonial British in 1839.
This oldest tea company of northeastern India having 14 big tea gardens across Assam, has been suffering a lot due to alleged mismanagement. Last year, it was also claimed that the present owner of the company had 'diverted' the funds to invest in some other businesses and this in effect led to the new challenges.
In Digboi, the citizens and former employees of the oil company are faced with multiple problems.
"There are many issues. Health service has improved after the BJP came to power in 2016... but still we have miles to go," said a senior teacher.
The Digboi refinery is one of the oldest operating refineries in the world.
It was commissioned in 1901 and is known as the "Gangotri of the Indian Hydrocarbon sector".
Trade union leaders say there are multiple issues.
In 2009, two fires at the refinery and in the township caused significant losses for the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Oil India Ltd (OIL).
At least 31 families were left homeless and two people also expired.
It was reported that the company did not have a dry dock policy for its jack up rigs, which led to poor maintenance and high dry dock costs.
The company also started exploratory and production projects without getting the required environmental clearance.
Even the drinking water project started at a whopping cost of Rs 4168.80 lakh has not been made functional yet. Local residents say - "We also do not know .... how and why this project is today abandoned".
An insurance agent says : "It is sad but true ... the political class and state capital Dispur have failed us".
In 2022, it was announced that the state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will invest over Rs 740 crore to raise the capacity of the nation's oldest oil refinery at Digboi.
In a stock exchange filing, IOC had said its board has approved raising of Digboi refinery capacity from 0.65 million tonnes per annum to 1 million tonnes along with associated facilities at an estimated cost of Rs 740.20 crore.
Amid all these, the Congress leaders say the Double Engine Govt has failed and hence Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his party colleagues are trying to play up emotive issues such as Love Jehad.
"When we won the prestigious Jorhat parliamentary seat as against entire state machinery working against our Gaurav Gogoi, the message was clear; the Upper Assam voters will reject the Lotus party in 2026 assembly polls," says a Congress leader in Tinsukia.
Of course, the BJP dismisses all such charges.
Some of the answers to many questions actually lie in the womb of time.
Over to 2026 assembly polls in Assam.
ends
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