By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: The sleepy, nondescript village of huts and mud houses is not so any more. The Bhajanpur village of poor daily wagers in Forbesganj block of Araria district has come to light after sacrificing four lives – they were killed by police on 3rd June when a group of the residents came out to protest against the blocking of their old road by an upcoming factory.
Forbesganj Railway Station
The village of about 850 voters under Rampur North panchayat in Forbesganj block lies about 20 feet down on the south side of the National High-57 (Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga-Purnea-Forbesganj). On the north side of the NH is the upcoming Auro Sundaram International Pvt. Ltd.
Bhajanpur village on the south side of NH-57 (Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga-Purnea-Forbesganj)
Auro Sundaram International Pvt. Ltd. on the north side of NH-57
Most of the village road is not pucca. About 95% homes are also not pucca. The villagers are agricultural laborer or construction laborer – mostly working in the neighboring areas while a couple of hundreds work in other states. The village has a mosque, a madrasa and a government school.
The entrance of the Bhajanpur village
The Forbesganj block headquarters, referral hospital, bazaar, Idgah and Imambara – all lie on the north side of the NH (i.e. on the side of the upcoming factory). When the NH came the National Highway Authority of India constructed an underpass and a link road for the Bhajanpur residents so that they need not climb the 20ft high NH to cross it. Through the link road and underpass the villagers would go to the other side and proceed on the old road that would lead them to the places mentioned above. The road would cross a wide open plot. The very plot including the road, about a year or so ago, was given on lease to Auro Sundaram International Pvt. Ltd. by Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA). The plot was of several local people. BIADA had acquired the plot about 3 decades ago.
NH-57 overlooking the village of Bhajanpur
The link road constructed by NHAI for Bhajanpur village
The underpass of NH-57 for Bhajanpur village
Rampur Chowk
Children in Bhajanpur village
A Mosque in Bhajanpur village
Bhajanpur village
[Photos by Mudassir Rizwan, TwoCircles.net]