Kumar Pame (60) was a peasant in Bhimpora on the banks of river Subansiri till three years ago in Lakhimpur under Kadam Revenue Circle. But the continuous erosion by Subansiri has turned him a displaced and landless labourer forcing him to earn his livelihood by collecting wood carried by the river in the last three years.
Kumar is just one of the thirty affected families displaced by the unabated erosion by the same river. The Brahmaputra and many of its tributaries have been eroding vast areas of agricultural land across Assam. This has displaced many people dependent on agriculture. They are now landless and jobless. The erosion affected peasants in Bhimpora have lost their age old agricultural fields and for that they are forced either to migrate to urban areas in search of livelihood or to adopt alternative means of earning.
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Like Kumar Pame, Dighala Doley and Rajen Doley and others have been collecting wood carried by Subansiri during monsoon. The wood, collected by these people are stacked and sold in the local market. Kumar Pawe and others sell the wood at Rs. 50/- per bundle in the market and thus support their lives.
These riverine villagers, who have been displaced for more than two years expressed their resentment over the indifference shown by the departments concerned and state’s apathy towards them.