Silchar: Residents of Mirjanagar, a village in Assam's Karimganj district, have decided to boycott the upcoming panchayat elections if steps for an overall development of the village are not taken soon.

Mirjanagar falls under Janakalyan gaon panchayat under South Karimganj constituency, around 78km from here. It has a population of around 2,000 comprising mostly fishermen and farmers.

Villagers Shantilal Namasudra, Ranajit Namasudra, Dipon Namasudra and Sudhir Namasudra said they are deprived of basic facilities such as good roads, potable water and a healthcare system, among others, though seven decades have passed since Independence.

They said there is no proper road in the village as a result of which commuters face immense trouble. The village becomes almost like an island during the monsoon and boats are the only means of communication.

Fed up with the government's apathy, the aggrieved villagers have decided to develop connectivity on their own and started construction of a road by raising funds from among themselves.

They said there is no health centre or hospital nearby, causing extreme problems especially in times of emergency. The nearest health centre at Nilambazar is around 8km from Mirjanagar and the Karimganj Civil Hospital is around 12km from the village.

In the absence of a proper road, villagers have to carry patients, especially elderly persons, on their shoulders for 1km to reach the nearest road.

As there is no potable water in the village, they have to collect water from impure sources such as ponds, rivers and even drains. People often suffer from water-borne diseases after consuming contaminated water.

The villagers rued that though various welfare schemes had been launched by the government, the residents of Mirjanagar are deprived of the benefits.

Lashing out at local political leaders, including South Karimganj legislator Aziz Ahmed Khan, the residents said though they had approached representatives of different parties, nothing has been done till date.

They alleged that though Karimganj MP Radheshyam Biswas had made several promises before the last Lok Sabha elections, their condition remains unchanged. Biswas was not available for comment.

Khan told this correspondent on Thursday that he had visited the village nearly two months back and instructed the authorities concerned to solve the issues at the earliest. He had promised to take stock of progress of work.

Khan said it is not possible for the government to provide a health centre in each village. "Steps will be taken to make healthcare services more accessible," he said.