Students' bodies announce series of agitational programmes

Silchar, Jun 24 (UNI) Two powerful students' organisations of Barak Valley and North Cachar Hills district of Assam have jointly announced a series of agitational programmes from June end to protest the delay in implementing the 201-km Lumding-Silchar broad gauge conversion project and East-West Corridor.

This was announced by the leaders of All Cachar-Karimganj- Hailakandi Students' Association (ACKHSA) and All Dimasa Students' Union (ADSU) here today.

ACKHSA president Rupam Nandi Purkayasthya and ADSU president Prafulla Hafila said people of southern Assam region had lost their patience following prolonged delay and indifference towards implementing the two mega projects of the region.

In a bid to create pressure on the government, the two students' organisations had called a 12-hour south Assam (Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi and NC Hills districts) bandh on August eight as part of series of agitation.

This apart, they will organise protest rallies on June 27 in front of all the four DC's offices, strike in all the educational institutions on August one, hold a torch rally in the third week of August and rail roko agitation at Lumding, the divisional headquarters of NF Railway in the last week of August.

Besides this, the ACKHSA and ADSU will organise dharna at Dispur Last Gate during monsoon session of the Assam Assembly and in the Boat Club in Delhi in September to press upon the government for timely implementation of the projects.

Mr Purkayasthya and Hafila criticised both Centre and Assam governments for the abnormal delay in completing the projects, considered as lifeline for not only south Assam, but also for Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur.

'' We are surprised to find that over the past 12 years only 30 per cent work has been completed for the 201-km broad gauge project.

Moreover, the Assam government has so far managed to deploy security forces in 32 sensitive areas out of 67 such areas, a clear case of negligence towards the project, '' said the student leaders.

'' None is ready to buy the argument that militancy is responsible for delay in project. The example is Tripura, where amid tight security the state government has made it sure that militants can't become hurdle in the way of implementing the new railway line project, '' they added.

UNI XC SJC/src1822