OUR VILLAGE

Sitai suffers from multiple problems

 

COOCH BEHAR, May 7: The outgoing body of Sitai Panchayat Samiti is a Left Front controlled one. But this time the Left Front candidates are facing ire of villagers who are demanding coverage of electricity and drinking water supply facilities, as most areas in the five gram panchayats under the Sitai Panchayat Samiti are yet to avail these basic facilities.

 

Sitai block is separated from Dinhata sub-division by Singimari river. Capsizing of boats in Singimari river is an annual feature during the monsoon. The proposed bridge over Singimari river to connect Sitai with Dinhata is still a distant dream. For many years the proposed bridge stands as an election issue to the political parties but promises flow through its water.

 

Among the five gram panchayat bodies of the Sitai Panchayat Samiti four are under control of the Forward Bloc and the rest one is of the CPI-M. In the last Assembly elections Dr Md Fozle Haque of the Congress staged a comeback by defeating the sitting Forward Bloc candidate Mr Nripen Roy.

 

Some of the major problems the Sitai block suffers from are lack of drinking water supply and electrification, poor road communication system and above all the round-the-year river erosion. Power is yet to come in most areas of Brahmottar Chatra, Sitai-II, Chamta and Adabari except Sitai market area. There are a few hand push tubewells but the water is not worth of consumption. The cultivators have to suffer due to lack of power connection in the area because they cannot use pumps to lift water for irrigation. Though the country won its Independence many years ago this area is still have to stay in dark at night.

 

Many villagers alleged that the leaders of different political parties used to come prior to the elections and delivers bucketful of promises for development. There is nothing new to it but those promises vanish in the blue after the elections.

 

The Congress made the backwardness of the area as their main issue during the poll campaigning. The ruling Left Front did nothing for Sitai, they allege. On the otherhand, the CPI-M and the Forward Bloc leaders are reiterating their promise to add all the needed facilities if their candidates can win this time too. []