Nagaon, April 3: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal today announced that state government will take several initiatives in promoting the old Kalang river to boost rural tourism in central Assam's Nagaon district.
Sonowal said Dispur has planned to revive the Kalang by designing its course, carrying out eviction drives along its banks and conducting cleanliness programmes.
"Tourists will visit the banks of the Kalang if we can do the right things for the dead river and make it a base of rural tourism," he said.
"Our plan includes both the Kalang and the dead Kalang (Mori Kalang). The state government will complete the required work and we hope that it will soon become a tourist destination," he said.
Sonowal, who participated in the Namami Brahmaputra festival in Nagaon district today, said his government will keep its promises regarding the "dead river". The chief minister was accompanied by minister of state for railways Rajen Gohain, state water resource minister Keshab Mahanta and Nagaon MLA Rupak Sarma.
Sonowal claimed that the river festival was the biggest success of his government as, despite rain, people from across Assam were participating in the celebrations that gave them an opportunity to view the mighty Brahmaputra from a different point of view.
The 200km Kalang used to flow through the two central Assam districts - Nagaon and Morigaon - before merging into the Brahmaputra.
In 1971, the river was cut off from the Brahmaputra following back-to-back floods in Morigaon. Subsequent encroachment and siltation made the river a stagnant waterbody.
Dispur recently released Rs 10 crore for an eviction drive to clear the banks of the river.
"It is unfortunate that the Kalang has now become one of the most polluted rivers of the country. New Delhi released funds for cleaning the river a few years ago but it was never utilised for reasons best known to the then governments," said Nagaon MP Gohain.
Nagaon deputy commissioner Shamsher Singh said the first phase of the eviction drive will start immediately after the Namami Brahmaputra festival.
"We are ready to carry out the eviction drive. Encroached areas have already been identified," said Singh.
The district unit of the BJP today reiterated that it would move Sonowal separately, demanding a high-level inquiry into the misuse of funds released for the Kalang during the Congress rule.
"Money in crores were siphoned off by a section of politicians and officials in the name of cleaning the river. We hope a thorough inquiry might reveal the truth," a district unit BJP member said.
