Just flurry of promises won't work this time

Voters of char areas in seven unions under Mymensingh Sadar upazila are now reluctant about the pledges made by candidates ahead of the upcoming election as such promises saw very little fulfilment earlier.
Political leaders on different occasions pledged to solve various problems and supplying electricity at every house in the char areas but the pledges have remained unfulfilled, several locals told this correspondent during his recent visit to the area.
Earlier all the seven unions in the char areas were with Mymensingh-4 (Sadar) constituency. But following new demarcation, five of them now belong to Mymensingh-3 (Gouripur) seat.
Although not very far from Mymensingh town, the areas have remained neglected as governments of Jatiya Party, BNP and Awami League failed to keep their promise to develop the condition of people, mostly living under the poverty line.
Two other unions - Austhadhar and Kustia - are now with Mymensingh-4 (Sadar) constituency.
Candidates from the two constituencies, including former BNP minister AKM Mosharraf Hossain, Jatiya Party leader Rowshan Ershad, AL leader Dr Captain (retd) Mujibur Rahman Fakir and BNP leader Iqbal Hussein have made various pledges for development of the areas.
“We do not want flurry of pledges. We want solution of the longstanding problems on priority basis,” said Reaz Uddin Ahmed, a social worker of village Char Anandipur.
Sir Salimullah Medical College student Emtiaz Ahmed Saany, who hails from village Char Gobindapur, said road communication should be developed and institutions for standard education should be established in the char areas. Ashik Ahmed Iqbal, a pharmacy student of Jahangirnagar University, who hails from the same village, also echoed the same.
“We are deprived of development since the Pakistan period,” Azim Miah, a vegetable vendor of village Char Sirta, said.
Candidates should fulfill their pledges for sustainable of the char areas, said Zakir Hossain, Sattar, Abdul Karim, Giasuddin and Abdul Malek of village Char Iswardia.
Villagers of the char areas, only several kilometres from upazila headquarters and Mymensingh town, require a long tiresome journey to reach there. Educational institutions are inadequate -- both in number and quality of education. Healthcare facilities are very scanty too.