July 2: Legend has it that about two centuries ago, a holy man named Sachidananda found a golden idol of goddess Mahamaya in the Alokjhari forest.
The then king of Gauripur, Pratap Chandra Barua, dreamt of the deity and donated 108 bighas of land in the name of Mahamaya. That is about the only stroke of good fortune Alokjhari, located along the Assam-Bengal inter border in Dhubri district, has had in 200 centuries.
Located four km south of Tamarhat, under Rupshi Development Block of Gauripur legislative Assembly constituency, Alokjhari has been caught in a time warp. The village, inhabited by the religious minorities and the Koch-Rajbongshi community, lacks basic facilities like electricity and public healthcare.
Villagers are still dependent on canals and the Gadadhar river for drinking water, while patients needing urgent medical care have to travel 40 km to reach Dhubri Civil Hospital, the nearest healthcare facility.
Although voters from the village exercise their franchise in Golakganj constituency, their development block is Rupshi, under Gauripur constituency. Residents believe this is the reason why neither the block development officer (BDO) of Rupshi nor the legislator from Golakganj has taken any step for the development of the village, which has a population of 1,205.
The river Gadadhar surrounds the village on its north, south and western sides while the eastern side is flanked by the Alokjhari forest. In April each year, a weeklong fair at Mahamaya Dham attracts thousands of devotees from Dhubri, Kokrajhar and West Bengal.
The fair is also called Saat Besoma Mela in local parlance. A temple has been built at the Mahamaya Dham with public donations.
Once the fair is over, the historical village slips back into oblivion. One of the villagers, Jagabandhu Barman, said the bamboo bridge on the river Gadadhar on the north was the only link with the outside world for the villagers.
Constructed with public donation, the makeshift bridge too is in a dilapidated condition. The condition of the only road in the village is also deplorable in absence of any development funds from the government.
The village has only one primary school. Except for three to four matriculates, most of the villagers are illiterate. There is no government service holder in the village. About 98 per cent of the villagers belong to the below poverty line (BPL) category.
Another chronic problem of the village is the annual devastation caused by floods. The overflowing waters of the Gadadhar river cause extensive damage to the village.
When contacted, Golakganj MLA Abu Taher Bepari said he was aware of the problems afflicting the village. ?We have drawn up a comprehensive plan in consultation with the district administration to achieve speedy all-round socio-economic development of the area,? Bepari said.
