12. Roads and Communication System of the Bam :

 Until 1950, the Bam region was almost completely isolated from the mainland of Cachar in terms of road connectivity. There was only a narrow dirt road suitable for walking and bullock carts. This road extended from Ramprasadpur Ranfari Shiv Bari to Hawaithang market. It passed through Lantugram, Sadagram, Saptagram, Islamabad, Bangram, Rajghat, Channighat, and Frenchnagar, running alongside the Rukni River. The road was not yet suitable for vehicular traffic. The road was maintained under the supervision of the local self-governing "Local Board". Later, the alignment of this road from Ramprasadpur to Saptagram was shifted westward, which is now known as National Highway 306.

People used boats, bullock carts, and horses to transport agricultural produce. The Rukni River, connected to the Barak River transportation system in the north, served as a means of communication for trade and commerce. Until 1950, traders from Sylhet would bring necessary goods to the market by pulling barges or 'gumti nao' (a type of boat) upstream against the strong currents of the Rukni River. They came especially during Eid or Puja festivals. After 1950, their visits almost ceased. During the rainy season, government officials occasionally traveled on the Rukni River by steamboat.

Until 1953-54, Kabuganj, located 15 km from Bhagabazar, was the nearest place connecting the Bam region to Silchar by motor vehicle. People had to walk to Kabuganj to catch a bus. The first four-wheeled vehicle, a vintage Ford car, crossed Bhagabazar in 1952 and went south, causing frightened cows and curious people to run after the car. This was the first four-wheeled vehicle to arrive in the southern part of the Bam region.

Around 1954 or 1955, bus service was introduced from Bhagabazar to Silchar. These were noisy, rattling buses powered by engines started with metal handles (locally called 'handle', and the person who operated the handle was called a 'handleman'). Harun Rashid Lasker, who was better known as the ticket master, issued bus tickets in Bhagabazar. According to the recollections of Riaz Uddin Lasker, a senior citizen of Bhagabazar, the fare for the upper class bus journey from Bhagabazar to Silchar was one rupee and seven annas, and the lower class fare was one rupee. The 35 km unpaved, dusty road took about 3 hours to travel. A 20-25 minute stop was given at Kabuganj, approximately midway through the journey. Many passengers would get off the bus and have tea during this stop. Initially, only one bus departed from Bhagabazar at 7 AM and returned from Silchar at 3 PM. The bus stand was located at Premtala in Silchar, where the Goldighi Shopping Mall is now situated. The first rickshaws were introduced in Bam in 1958.

From 1950 onwards, gradual changes were observed in Bam. This change progressed at an unprecedented pace, paving the way for the overall development of Bam. It was like a real-life version of the village in the Catskill Mountains from Washington Irving's story, Rip Van Winkle. In the story, the lazy Rip Van Winkle went to the Catskill Mountains and slept for twenty years. When he woke up after twenty years and returned to the village, he couldn't recognize anything. Everything had changed.

It has now become difficult to recognize the familiar Bam of the past. The entire Bam is now connected by various rural roads and national highways. At the forefront of this changed and improved communication system is the wide National Highway 306 connecting Silchar and Aizawl. Entering Bam through Ram Prasadpur, south of Dhalai Bazaar, 23 km from Silchar, the road runs along the banks of the Rukni River, passing through Lantungram, Sadagram, Saptagram, Islamabad, Bangram, and Rajghat in the western part of Bam, before taking a turn near the northern end of Channighat and reaching Lailapur, forming a semi-circular shape before entering Mizoram. Another road maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD), the Mizoram Road, starts from NH 306 near the Dholai crematorium and runs along the western boundary of the foothills of the Rengti Hills, passing through the villages of Arjanpur, Loknathpur, Jaydhanpur, and Hawaithang. After covering 9 kilometers, it reaches Lailapur and connects with National Highway 306.

From Jaydhanpur, a new road branches off from this road, crosses the Rengti Hills, and leads to Dholai Basti in the western valley of the hills. It passes by the Jaydhanpur Tabatkur waterfall in the Rengti Hills. From the viewpoint at the summit of the Rengti Hills near the Tabatkur waterfall, a panoramic view of the entire Bam area to the east and the Hailakandi district to the west can be enjoyed. This road has opened up the previously inaccessible valley on the western side of the Rengti Hills. In the near future, this road may establish a direct connection between Hailakandi and Bam.

Several connecting roads link National Highway 306 and the Dhalai Loknathpur Lailapur Mizoram Public Works Department road. Another road branches off from National Highway 306 at the Channighat area, crosses the Hawaithang market, and follows the western bank of the Rukni River, passing through Khulichhara Forest Village and Napitkhal Panjum Forest Village, before reaching the Mizoram Border Police check gate at Saihapui near the Mizoram border. The total length is eight kilometers.

This is a picture of the communication and transportation system on the left bank of the Rukni River.

 

The Channighat-Hawaithang road crosses the Hawaithang market, crosses the Rukni River via a bridge at French Nagar, and connects to Sheorartal Forest Village on the eastern bank of the Rukni River. It then passes through Bagheola Forest Village and Jamirkhal Forest Village, finally joining the MRD Road (Bhagabazar-Saifai Mizoram Road) near the Dhanipur Sarbajanin Durga Mandap. The Rukni bridge has opened up this region to the outside world.

 The 16 km long Bhagabazar-Mizoram Saifai road is the backbone of the communication system on the eastern bank of the Rukni River. The road crosses the Rukni River at the southern end of Bhagabazar. It then runs upstream along the river, passing through Rajnagar, Rajgobindpur, Shyamacharanpur, Jamalpur, Khulichhara market, Kalarhaor, Dhalakhal, and Panchhara, before reaching Karkat and continuing to Saifai in Mizoram.

 Another road – the Bhagabazar-Vidyaratnapur Road – connects the eastern region of Bhagabazar. It starts from the 2 km point of the Bhagabazar-Mizoram Saifai road in West Rajnagar and goes through Rajnagar, Vidyaratnapur, and Bishnupur to Sonitpur Forest Village, 10 km away. Sonitpur Forest Village is 4 km from Kalakhal FV on the banks of the Sonai River. 4 km from Sonitnagar FV to Kalakhal FV. There are no roads beyond this point; only dense jungle.

 

From Baghabazar to Dhalaibazar, there is a network of connecting roads along the eastern bank of the Rukni River. Starting from National Highway 306 at Baghabazar, the road runs along the eastern bank of the Rukni River, passing through Tilanagar, Jivangram, Gajalghat, Debipur, Mahadevpur, Sadagram, and the BNMP School, before rejoining National Highway 306 via Dhala High School Road.

 Another road from Dhalaibazar passes through Dhala BNM P School, Dulalgram, and Rukni Tea Estate, reaching Palanghat where it connects with the Kabuganj Amraghat Road, opening up access to Amraghat, Matinagar, Dormikhal, and Maniyarkhal in the southeastern part of Bam. There are also alternative roads via Malugram connecting the Amraghat area to Bam. Near Dhala Police Station, a road connects Rajanikhal, Gurudayalpur, the Biodiversity Park, and other villages at the foothills of the Rengti hills west of Bam. These are the main connecting roads of the Bam region, located north and east of the important Dhalaibazar in Bam.

 The road connectivity in Bam has been further strengthened by the upgrading of the E&D embankment on both banks of the Rukni River. The embankments on both banks of the Rukni River have been strengthened and concrete blocks have been laid. This is a great achievement for the villagers along the banks of the Rukni River. Almost every village in Bam is connected by all-weather motorable roads. The proposed Bharatmala road is entering Mizoram through Bam. This will directly connect Bam with the rest of India and establish direct communication and trade with mainland India and the Far East. This will have a far-reaching impact on Bam.

In the initial stages of settlement in Bam, there were no bridges across the river to connect the eastern and western regions of the Rukni River. This problem has now been solved. Several bridges have been constructed over the Rukni River. Among them, three bridges near Dhalaibazar, Baghabazar, and Hawaithang Bazar play a crucial role in connectivity. The main reason for Bam's good roads and transportation system is its geographical location. Bam serves as a land link between Cachar and Mizoram. Travel to and from Mizoram, as well as the supply of goods and services, must pass through Bam. This has turned Bam's otherwise remote location into an advantageous one. The connection between Bam and Mizoram for trade was established in the 1950s.

 We have seen above that in the early years of settlement in Bam, there were no roads for transportation. Similarly, there was no system of communication for sending and receiving information, and establishing a formal communication system was a significant challenge. In the absence of modern communication systems, the people of Bam had to rely on messengers (locally known as Khabariya). They would travel short and long distances on foot to deliver important news, much like the postal runners of earlier times. These messengers played a crucial role in conveying important news such as illness, death, or marriages within families.

 

For short distances, communication was mainly through loud announcements. Important news was also announced publicly by beating drums in marketplaces and other important places. The Kuki people of Bam, who lived in hilly villages called Punji, such as Kunga Punji and Kokai Punji, had a unique method of communication. They would send messages at night using drumbeats. This was parallel to sending telegraphic messages with dots and dashes using Morse code. As the environment was pollution-free, and the Punji villages were located on hills, the sound of the drums traveled quite far at night. Messages were exchanged between two drummers. The exchange would continue for quite some time. The exchange of messages between the drummers was like a dialogue, where one sends a message and the other party responds. This process could extend for a considerable period.

 

The entire Bam region was under the jurisdiction of the post office located in Dhalai Bazar. The Dhalai post office was established in 1914 – almost during the initial phase of resettlement in Bam. In the 1950s, the postman would come to Bhagabazar on the market days of Saturday and Tuesday. He would spread out a cloth sheet, place the letters on it, and distribute the postcards and letters from there. The recipients of the letters or their acquaintances could collect them. Anyone could read someone else's letter and leave it there. There was no privacy. Even when letters arrived, there were few people who could read them. To receive a letter, the recipient—especially in Muslim-majority areas—had to travel from one village to another. Now, Bhagabazar has a fully functional post office. There are a total of 18 postal service outlets in the entire Bam area, with 8 branch offices under the Bhagabazar Post Office and 8 under the Dhalai Post Office. Landline telephone service was introduced in 1990 by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, but that system has now become obsolete. Almost everyone is now accustomed to using mobile phones.

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