Bhutan businessman's gesture
Image credit - Northeast Now

A goodwill gesture from a Bhutanese businessman is going to help not his countrymen but at least five hundred Assam villagers.

The cultivators residing in the Indo-Bhutan border villages in Assam’s Baksa district are dependent on the rivers and streams flowing downward from Bhutan.

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The villagers of Bagajuli, Kalipur, Hatiduba, Santipur, Mariampur, Patkijuli, Belkhuti, Angarkata, Kawli, Darrangapar and Goibari are mainly dependent on the waters of Bhutan.

But they faced innumerable hardships after the embankment was damaged in the border.

Due to the travel restrictions in view of COVID19-induced lockdown, the Assam farmers were unable to repair the same.

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As the matter was brought to the attention of Tamulpur MLA Emanuel Mushahary, he approached a prominent Bhutanese entrepreneur, Drup Sanam Dukpa, who came forward to help the Assam farmers and repair the embankment.

Dukpa, who owns a number of companies including SD Eastern Bhutan Ferro Silicon Pvt. Ltd., as a goodwill gesture spent lakhs of rupees to rebuild the embankment with the help of Bhutanese workers.

Sources said the move will immensely help the farmers as they will now be able to use the waters diverted in five directions towards the downstream.

President and secretary of a local embankment management committee, Maheswar Narzari and Ganesha Limbu, while hailing the goodwill gesture of the businessman said, “The rebuilt embankment will benefit at least five hundred villagers of Assam.”

 

Shajid Khan is Northeast Now Correspondent in Udalguri. He can be reached at: [email protected]