Dhubri, Oct. 9: A village touted as one of the showpieces of rural tourism in Assam has been left counting its losses after a bout of late-monsoon flooding.

Asharikandi Terracotta Craft Village suffered extensive damage during the floods last month. The wooden bridge that connects the village to National Highway 31 was washed away and hundreds of cattle perished.

Governor Ajai Singh was scheduled to visit the village around that time, but could not make the trip because of the floods.

The Tipkai river washed away the wooden bridge connecting the crafts village and the national highway on September 13.

Sources in the North East Craft and Rural Development Organisation (Necardo) said the crafts village was now virtually an island.

Apart from the 85 families staying in the village, the floods affected the 400-odd traders who do business worth approximately Rs 2.91 crore a year.

The craft village had only recently begun to attract tourists.

The director of Necardo, Binoy Bhattacharjee, said the bridge being washed away by floodwaters was a blow not only to the terracotta industry but to tourism as well.

Necardo has urged the governor to ensure that Asharikandi gets all the help it requires to get back on track. First on the village’s wishlist is a concrete bridge over the Tipkai.

“Only a concrete bridge can withstand the kind of monsoon fury that washed away the wooden structure this year,” Bhattacharjee said.

An official source said the public works department (PWD) was working on a bridge blueprint. “The budget for the project is Rs 2 crore. It will most likely be sanctioned this month and work should begin immediately.”