Rabindranath Biswas, Diglipur: The most perilous means of transport and communication system in Andaman and Nicobar Islands appears to be the wooden structured bridge over Kalighat Nallah that the denizens of Nischintapur use to cross over in their dire need.
The residents of Nishchintapur are Registered Settlers settled by the Govt. of India under Rehabilitation Scheme 1956/57, and now it has been almost 60 years, but till date there is no proper means of access to this segregated, marooned and neglected area.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha, the denizens of this region said that they have been silently withstanding the troubles and misfortunes since their settlement.
Nishchintapur is a cluster of hamlets and the prime inconvenience is their transportation and communication which is in awful state. The village is bifurcated by a deep creek called Kalighat Nallah, which is infested with crocodiles.
And this perilous tidal inlet is bridged with wooden structure across the creek which acts as the sole access system in terms of connectivity and which is also often washed away by flood waters especially in the rainy season.
“We use dinghy to make to and fro movement but it is also not feasible in peak monsoon as the Kalighat Nallah takes the horrendous form” they lamented.
People of this part depend on the market or bazaar of Kalighat for their every rudimentary needs like essential commodities, health service etc. And in severe situations like serious patients of snake-bite, pregnant women requiring immediate medical aid, people of this neglected part find themselves in extreme helpless state when they find the said tidal inlet over-flooded and the wooden structured bridge broken or washed away leaving no access for them to cross the perilous creek and reach hospital.
Instances are there that a number of people lost their lives in Nishchintapur due to this reason. Twenty years ago, one Mr. Narayan Bairagi got his leg bitten by a poisonous snake, who couldn’t be transported to hospital in time and as a result he had to get his leg amputated.
A woman of the village who became a fire victim died as couldn’t be taken to hospital. Two women of this region consumed poison and they too lost their lives since they couldn’t be shifted to the hospital.
Many people were reportedly killed by crocodiles in this creek. These people met their untimely death only due to this extremely fragile transport and communication system in the region, they rued.
Besides, most alarmingly, the new born babies/infants and children of these hamlets are deprived of their timely vaccines due to these reasons, they said. “This is how, we the inhabitants of this isolated part are being deprived of and neglected in many respects for years together but our voice has been unheard so far” they alleged.
In wake of this grievous situation, the consideration of constructing a bridge across the said creek is the only solution to the prolonged pangs and troubles of the residents of Nishchintapur, they believe.
“In fact, the proposed bridge steel/bailey or any other permanent form will undeniably serve our purpose; many aspirants and students from this wretched place will be able to try their luck once this connectivity is developed in the shape of a bridge” they opined.
According to them, the entire community of this area will find a new avenue to prosper their life. Less people will die once a bridge is constructed over the creek. Rehabilitated people will be able to ward off the troubles and wretchedness they have been enduring and witnessing since 1956.
Amid this, a PRI member of this region reportedly raised these issues in the meeting held on the Chief Secretary’s recent visit to Diglipur.
The PRI member also said that the creek in question is infested with crocodiles that killed many people of Nischintapur village. The Chief Secretary was aghast to listen this, and said that it is not at all good that crocks are taking lives this way and then instantly wanted to know the current status of this proposed project from concerned departments and officials who apprised him that it is almost in the final stage and it is expected that there will be a bridge and rural road which will be a great relief for the denizens of the remote area, a source said.
