Guwahati: Its been seven days since the tragic Nimati ghat boat accident took place. The question continues to haunt us- Who is to blame?
The ill-fated boat 'Ma Kamala' took the lives of three individuals in the heart-wrecking boat accident. Assam has lost three gems of a person- Parimita Das, a college lecturer, a teacher Indreswar Borah, and doctor Bikramjit Baruah.
The evening of Tuesday turned gray for the family and dear ones of Bikramjit Baruah, who was missing for seven days. With the recovery of doctor Bikramjit Baruah's dead body yesterday, the entire town of Jorhat mourns for the loss of a saviour. The guardian angel now returns to the land of paradise.
While speaking to the media, one of his close friends and an orthopedic specialist Bhaskar Bhagawati shared his concern regarding the misfortune.
He said, "We all wanted Bikramjit to come back home safe. But, I am in a compete state of anguish for losing my 'Hokhi' (best man in terms of a wedding). We have lost a saviour."
Keeping his point regarding the system of ferry services, Bhaskar added," The entire system of the government is wrong. How can a government continue such services till now, when the order was passed in 2018 to cease single-engine boats? If such carelessness continues in the future, the state will keep losing real life heroes."
"Funds are overflowing in the sector of ferry services in Assam, but following a concrete decision is yet a challenge for many. It is very depressing to observe that the government is overseeing the services of single-engine boats without proper documents held by the boat owners," added Bhaskar.
Another friend of Bikramjit Baruah said that Bikramjit was a saviour. He used to serve people living in the outskirt areas of the Majuli region amid Covid-19. But, Bikramjit as a doctor, never lamented about the challenges he has faced during his service.
Bikramjit used to say that he went to Australia whenever he visted Majuli for work. He told his friends that Majuli is magnificent and is similar as Australia.
A doctor friend of Bikramjit also stated, "If such problems continue, it will turn difficult for people like teachers, doctors and other workers to visit Majuli for their services. There will always be a fear inside everyone. This way the people of the region will suffer the most."
He added," The 'Jorhat Doctor Club' members have registered a FIR and have tried to bring the attention of the government to conduct a proper investigation on the matter."
According to sources, the owner of the drowned boat does not hold valid papers for providing services. In such a scenario, the negligence of the government is obvious.
Bikramjit's best man also informed that this is a major issue for the government. How can there be a single spot for the departure and arrival of the boats in the ghat? So government should take concrete decisions and fix two separate places for the arrival and departure of the boats.
With a heart full of misery, one of his friends said that Bikramjit asked him to compose a rap song. Bikramjit wanted the song to describe the pain and sufferings of a doctor who has provided services during the pandemic. However, people are acknowledging less towards the contribution of a doctor.
Unfortunately, the song remained incomplete with the demise of Bikramjit Baruah. Several offered prayers for the return of the doctor in a good state. But, on September 14, 2021, the dead body of doctor Bikramjit Baruah was recovered.
A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) recovered the body of one floating in the Brahmaputra near Bhekeli Sapori in Majuli.
Meantime, Baruah's bag carrying documents has been recovered in the Brahmaputra near Biswanath district. The state has lost a saviour, an influencer, a mover for a sad cause.
Its unfortunate to observe that, Nimati ghat still highlights a long queue of passengers following the tragic boat incident. So there are many things to be undertaken by the government to resolve the problem of ferry services.
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