Assam Municipal Polls: Citizens’ views

Soumyadeep Das, Karishmita Saikia

People across Assam are expecting more development with better civic amenities reaching their doorsteps with the first phase of municipal elections beginning in the state today.

A total of 977 municipal wards in 80 municipal boards across the state have gone to the polls today.

Given below are the expectations of a few citizens regarding the municipal elections.

Bhupali Tamuli, a former student leader from the Gauhati University said, “The public should rise above communal disparities and vote for a party that resolves the issues and works for the betterment of the people.”

Meanwhile, Anita Das, a professional and resident of Dibrugarh district in Assam said, “We are really hoping for a cleaner town after the next municipal board is formed. Efficient disposal of garbage is a major problem, with all sorts of wastes littering the roadsides. The piled up garbage slips into the drains, thereby clogging them. This in turns obstructs free flow of water through these drains.”

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Another post graduate student from the Gauhati University Baikuntha Bodo said, “I urge all the young voters to consider problems like availability of drinking water, electricity, etc. that still exist in different parts of the city and then vote for a party that will work towards addressing these issues.”

On the other hand Manisha Deka, a working lady of Guwahati said, “As a resident of Guwahati I need good roads. Also there is a need of proper street light facility in different vulnerable areas of the city. This is because crime rates in Guwahati are increasing. Along with this CCTV cameras are important at strategic locations of the city. We would be happy if these issues are looked into.”

Bijoylakshmi Borah, a former student leader of the Gauhati University echoed similar sentiments saying that problems like flooding, waste management and many such areas that need improvement in the city must be looked at by voters when they decide on whom to cast their votes for.

“As a student leader myself, I hope that all of the young candidates in the upcoming Municipal elections do well. I urge the voters to dismiss party affiliations and vote for the candidates who can work for the betterment of the people,” said Disha Sarma, a student leader from Gauhati University.

Meanwhile, President of the Sahayika School for Differently Abled children said, “The government has turned a blind eye to the organizations of the differently abled. Since the past two years we have been functioning on our own. We haven’t received any funds from the government since two years. Therefore we want our representatives to look into the needs of the organizations across the city.”

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