Demand for medical college in Son Beel: Protest at Ramakrishnanagar, memo submitted to Himanta Biswa Sarma

The Son Beel Purbanchal Demand Committee, on Thursday, staged a protest in front of Ramakrishnanagar circle office in Karimganj district demanding the establishment of the proposed medical college at Purbanchal area of Son Beel.

The state government had last year announced that a medical college would be set up in Karimganj district. At present, Barak Valley is having only one medical college in Silchar in Cachar district.

Around 11 am on Thursday morning, over a hundred members of the committee gathered at Netaji Baag and marched to the circle office and staged the protest.

Sumanta Das, a member of the committee, said they had been raising their voices over the demand for the past one year and their movement was being supported by a huge number of people of the valley. Even though there has been a strong demand that the medical college be set up in Son Beel, its name was not even considered during a meeting of the land advisory committee held at Karimganj deputy commissioner’s office in the month of October last year, he rued.

“Son Beel is having enough land for the establishment of the medical college. However, the authorities concerned are not considering it for ‘mysterious’ reasons,” Sumanta Das said. And demanded that the medical college be set up in Son Beel. He further threatened of intensifying their protest if their demand was not fulfilled.

H. Rajbhar, former president of Saraspur gaon panchayat in Hailakandi, said they are left with no option but to hit the streets to get their demand fulfilled. “After Himanta Biswa Sarma announced about the medical college in Karimganj district we were expecting that a team will visit Son Beel to select the site. But nothing happened like that,” he said.

“People of both Hailakandi and Karimganj will be equally benefited if the medical college is set up in Son Beel,” he said.

The protesters later submitted a memorandum to Himanta Biswa Sarma (through the circle officer Saptati Endow) regarding their demand. Among other members, Srinibas Paul, Shashanka Sekhar Das and Ranajit Ghosh were present.