Dark age still rules Semanapara

Situated at some 30 km off the Khagrachhari town, the small village of some 11 square kilometers under Baibonchhara Union is inhabited by some 100 indigenous families of Tripura tribe.

Deprived of all civic amenities, the villagers here live a very hard and miserable life.

They maintain their livelihood either by collecting and selling firewood or Jhoom cultivation.

With no road developed till date to sell the firewood and products or to buy essential commodities, they walk all the way to the nearest market at Dighinala or at Kaharachhari Bazar, some 20 km and 30 km away. The bazaars, local markets, sit only once a week.

The villagers have nothing to do and suffer miserably from food and clothes during the rainy season or inclement weather, said Ziba Nanda Tripura, 60.

There is no tube-well or any other arrangement for drinking water. The villagers are to collect water for drinking and household works from the natural spring or wells (known as Pahari Kuya) struggling hard. It very often causes various water-borne diseases among the indigenous people.

They have no idea about the medicine or modern treatment. They depend on "Baidya" (healer) for their treatment and surrender themselves to Bhagwan (god) when they fall sick.

Many die due to wrong treatment by the healers and superstition, said Ratan Tripura, 39.

Local lawmaker, government officials and even the people's representatives of the local government hardly know about the existence of this village to come to the aid of the deprived indigenous people.

The light of education could never reach the far-flung tribal village as there is no school here.

Upendra Tripura, the then Karbari (village chief), with the assistance of Care, an international NGO, set up a primary school in the village in 1990. Two teachers -- Dipika Tripra and Nomrita Tripura, from Diginala were appointed to teach the tribal children there. They are to walk 20 kilometres to attend the school from Dighinala regularly, the locals said.

They said with the murder of Upendra Tripura by the miscreants two years ago the school was closed.

The nearest primary school is at Noimile area, 10km away from Semanapara and it is very difficult for the children to attend classes there everyday, said Alandra Tripura, 45, a villager.

For lack of education, superstitions have gripped the indigenous people of Semanapara.

Besides, early marriage is a common feature in the village. They get married at their early teens and the girls grow up in ill health.

Bona Devi,16, mother of a child, said she got married to Pahendra Tripura, a 16-year old boy of the same village, at the age of 13 and didn't face any complication in giving birth to a child.

Development of the village in the near future is bleak as it is still in dark and superstitions have gripped it, said the people of nearby localities.

At present, the village has no "Headman" (chief) to guide and represent them to the Mong Circle Chief King Paila Prue Chowdhury or to other headmen.

Shaktipada Tripura , president of Headman Association, said they want to bring about some changes in Semanapara. But, it would not be possible as the village is completely detached from the mainstream Khagrachhari, he said.

A member from Bibonchhara Union Parishad on condition of anonymity, however, said continuing development work at Semanapara is not possible due to threat by the gangs of different tribal criminals there.