Poll to poll: Bhakat Chapori's students risk lives to stay afloat in life

Dibrugarh: Tales of students risking their lives to reach schools and colleges is an old story in the realms of rural India. What is even older are the promises made by political parties to gain favour during election time, before conveniently brushing aside the ‘issues' once the poll bugle has died down.

Bhakat Chapori, a riverine area in Assam's Majuli, tells a similar tale of deprivation, where students from 17 villages, for nearly a month, have been risking their lives, crossing a turbulent stretch of the Brahmaputra in small and rickety country boats called ‘Tulunga Naons'.

Their only lifeline — a 350-metre-long bamboo bridge — was washed away during the flood on April 25, leaving them with no safe passage to their schools, which are located in Majuli's mainland. Since then, the local Naons have become their only means of transport across the river.

Frustration runs deep among the villagers, who claim Bhakat Chapori has seen no infrastructure development in 77 years of independence. "Congress govts ignored us completely. BJP promised change, but where is the bridge? Where is the development. We have hope from BJP govt, but the situation remains unchanged," said Rupnath Mili, a village elder.

Passengers, including young children, risk their lives daily as the rickety boats navigate the Brahmaputra's strong currents. "It's terrifying. Every day, we fear that the boat might capsize. But we have no choice—if we don't cross, we can't go to school. Sometimes we can see the water through the gaps in the planks. The boats sway so much that some children cry out of fear," said 14-year-old Anjali Pegu, a Class VIII student.

Earlier in January, local officials had promised infrastructure development after Majuli MLA Bhuban Gam had laid the foundation stone for a reinforced concrete cement (RCC) bridge. However, residents claim that no construction work has begun on the project.

"Not a single brick has been laid, since the foundation ceremony. We were hopeful when the MLA came, but it seems it was just another empty promise," said Jiten Pegu, head of a local village committee.

In a glimmer of hope, the state govt recently sanctioned Rs 49 crore for flood and erosion control at Bhakat Chapori. However, work is yet to start on that front as well. "We demand that work on the RCC bridge should begin immediately, along with the promised flood control measures. Our children's lives are at stake every day," Basanti Doley, a helpless parent pleaded.