Assam: Villagers, students risk lives daily to cross lake on banana rafts in Chenga, demands permanent bridge

In a stark reminder of rural neglect, hundreds of villagers and students under the Chenga constituency are forced to cross a beel (wetland) every day using makeshift rafts fashioned from banana trunks a perilous routine that highlights years of administrative apathy.

Residents from villages such as Kedeghee, Nirala Char, and West Gohalichar rely on this unsafe method due to the absence of a permanent bridge over the beel. For school and college students, the journey to attend classes has turned into a daily life-threatening ordeal, with several minor accidents already reported.

Despite repeated pleas to local MLA Ashraful Hussain for the construction of a bridge, villagers allege that no tangible steps have been taken. Many locals expressed frustration that while political leaders make grand promises during election campaigns, the situation on the ground remains unchanged year after year.

“We have been appealing for a bridge for years. Our children risk their lives every day to reach school. We don’t want assurances anymore we want action,” said a resident of Kedeghee village.

With the safety of hundreds of students and daily commuters at stake, villagers from five affected areas have now sought direct intervention from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, urging him to expedite the construction of a permanent bridge to bring an end to their long-standing struggle.