Shanto Shifat, Jhenaigati (Sherpur): The residents of Gomra Guchcha village in Nalkura union of Jhenaigati upazila of Sherpur are living in extreme misery. They have been living in subhuman conditions for a long time due to poverty, lack of employment and a crisis of government aid and cooperation.
In 2012, the cluster village was built by the upazila administration in Gomra village under the foreign-aided CVRP project. 30 landless and uprooted families were resettled here. Currently, about two hundred people live in this cluster village, most of whom are daily wage laborers. Although there are a few beggars and rickshaw pullers, most of the people are suffering from the hardships of unemployment.
Guch village president Abdur Rahman and general secretary Junab Ali said that although the government has given them a place to live, it has not provided them with any employment. As a result, if they do not work for a day, they have to spend their days hungry or on half-food. They do not even receive any government allowance or assistance. Even in the winter season, they have not been lucky enough to get a blanket.
The houses in the village, built a decade ago, have become uninhabitable due to lack of renovation. In addition, a pond dug for the village runs dry during the dry season. As a result, the villagers of the village are facing a shortage of water for their livestock and household needs.
The only two-kilometer dirt road from Sandhyakura Border Road to Gomra Guch village has been in a poor condition for a long time due to lack of renovation. This is hampering the transportation of agricultural products, the supply of wood to the Forest Department, and the patrolling activities of the BGB in the border area. Despite long-standing demands from the locals, the road has not yet been paved.
In this regard, the Chairman of Nalkura Union Parishad, Rukunuzzaman Guchcha, has assured to resolve the problems of the village.
Apart from this, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ashraful Alam Russell said that preparations have been made to renovate the Sandhyakura-Gomra dirt road through brick paving. The work will start soon. Along with this, necessary measures will be taken to solve other problems of the cluster village.
But a group of villagers want quick action, not promises. They want sustainable employment, government assistance, and infrastructure development so they can return to normal life.
