Md. Mafiz Uddin Sarker, Rangpur

Horse-drawn carriages have now become a blessing for people's employment and goods transportation in the char areas of Rangpur division. The 'horse-drawn carriage' is now playing a role as one of the main vehicles for goods transportation in various char areas of Rangpur division. 

Relying on these horse-drawn carriages, an epoch-making change has been achieved in the social and economic system of the char areas. There are 264 rivers, both small and large, in 8 districts of Rangpur division. In the areas along the banks of these rivers, 32 varieties of different crops are grown in about 600 major chars, which are fully populated.

It is learnt that there are about 562 chars of various populations on the banks of 264 small and large rivers including the Teesta, the Karotoya, the  Brahmaputra, the Dharla, the Dudh Kumar, and  the Phul kumar flowing through Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, and Gaibandha districts of Rangpur division. 

Each char has 10 to 50 horse-drawn carts. A decade ago, buffalo carts were used to transport goods in the chars and rural areas of Rangpur region. Now, buffalo carts are not seen much. Raju Islam, a horse-drawn cart driver in the Shakhahati Char area on the banks of the Brahmaputra River in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram, said that they buy a horse for 40 to 50 thousand taka. It costs 60 to 80 thousand taka to prepare a horse-drawn cart. They also have to work as hard as horses to transport goods in horse-drawn carts. Each cart can transport 10 to 15 maunds of goods. It costs 80 to 100 taka to transport each maund of goods over a distance of 3-4 kilometers. Without horse-drawn carts, it would have been difficult for them to bring and take goods to and from the char areas. Islam (48), a horse-drawn cart driver from Char Joragach area of Brahmaputra Naderbuk in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram, said that he earns 1 to 1.5 thousand taka daily by transporting goods in horse-drawn carts. The cost of horse food is 5 to 6 hundred taka. There are 10 to 50 horse-drawn carts in each char. They transport goods from the mainland to the char by horse-drawn carts. They also have to walk on the baluchar with the horses.

Shafiqul Islam (55), a horse-drawn cart driver from Char Jatrapur area of Brahmaputra Naderbuk in Kurigram Sadar upazila, said that since there are no other vehicles for transporting goods, people transport the crops produced in the char areas themselves and bring them to the mainland. Besides, government office and NGO workers reach their destinations by riding horse-drawn carriages. During the dry season, which lasts for about eight months of the year, horse-drawn carriages bring life back to the public life of the char. 

During the rainy season, the use of horse-drawn carriages decreases. Meher Ali (48), a horse-drawn carriage driver from the Kalmati char area, which rises on the Teesta River in Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila, said that the livelihood of hundreds of families in the char area depends on horse-drawn carriages. During the rainy season, goods and vehicles are transported by boat. However, during the dry season, passengers travel on foot. They transport goods by horse-drawn carriages. Until a special vehicle is invented for the char, horse-drawn carriages will remain one of the means of transport in the char. Fazlar Rahman (65), a farmer from the Gobardhan area of the Teestarbu Char in Aditmari Upazila of Lalmonirhat, said that they carry the crops grown on the char land to the mainland in horse-drawn carriages. Without horse-drawn carts, it would have been impossible for them to carry these goods across the sand. During the dry season, horse-drawn carts are a constant support to the people of the char. However, horse-drawn carts are not used during the rainy season.Even two decades ago, there were not many horse-drawn carts in the char, then there were buffalo and ox-drawn carts. Kabir Hossain, a trader at Jatrapur Hat in Kurigram Sadar Upazila, said that they transport goods in horse-drawn carts and sell them at the markets. They buy goods from the char area and transport them in horse-drawn carts and bring them to the mainland. As the price of horse feed has increased, the cost of transporting goods in horse-drawn carts has increased compared to before. 'The economy of the char is now completely dependent on horse-drawn carts. Our business in the char survives because of the horse-drawn carts.' People living in various chars in these districts said that boats cannot ply from the first week of March due to the decrease in navigability of the rivers in the dry season. At this time, horse-drawn carts become the only means of transporting goods in the sand. 'Currently, the economy of the char cannot be thought of without horse-drawn carriages. The lives of the people of the char area are miserable. There has been no development in the char and the people of the char. 'If there is a separate ministry for the char area, the char area will be developed.Rangpur Atomic Agricultural Science Officer Dr. Mohammad Ali said that various crops are cultivated on 91 thousand hectares of land in 8 districts of Rangpur division. In this, 32 varieties of crops including round potatoes, almonds, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn are produced in 562 chars. Without horse-drawn carriages, it would not have been possible to bring and take goods to the char area. As a result of traveling in horse-drawn carriages in the remote char areas, farmers are getting a fair price for their crops. The transportation of goods in horse-drawn carriages has created employment opportunities and has become a blessing for the people of the char area.