Guwahati, March 28: Beyond the collective ode there was a man and many who fought and died to save the land the Red River feeds. Thanks to Namami Brahmaputra, the statue of Ahom general Lachit Barphukan and his valiant warriors, who stand tall by the river, will have the "lights" shining on them once again after months of darkness.

The site of the statue, after its installation on January 1, 2016 at Machkhowa, was hardly cleaned and remained plunged in darkness for months now, defeating the very purpose for which it was built - a tribute to the Ahom general who defeated the Mughals in the Battle of Saraighat.

The bronze statue of the general is 35 feet tall, while there are eight 18-feet statues of his troops and a 32-feet-long cannon. The promised park on the river bank in front of the statue by expanding the existing park too remained a non-starter.

At present, however, the city, along with the statue area, is witnessing a major sprucing up, like temporary lights. A government official said lights around the statue area would be made permanent after the festival.

As part of the festival, a replica of the Rang Ghar, one of the oldest pavilions of world, is being set up in front of the statue, to host various indigenous sports of Assam. Most want the authorities to maintain the site round-the-year, not just during important events.

Sajida Doley Khan, a regular visitor to the site, said, "The statue of Lachit Borphukan and the area around it was not given due attention for some time. There were no lights. But now it is getting a new look for the river festival. I thank the government for this initiative and also request it to maintain the area."

At a February 4 meeting by the Kamrup (metro) administration, the responsibility for maintenance and security of this site was entrusted on the tourism and police departments. Deputy commissioner M. Angamuthu has initiated a project for expanding the park and asked the Guwahati Metropolitan Corporation to clean the site.

The last few months has seen a rise in gambling and bootlegging activities in the area. "The scene is bad. Not maintaining the statue or the area reflect poorly on us. The police station, which is nearby, and the authorities should take active interest in keeping the area clean. But things should look up now," said Bibek Kalita, who had come the see the preparations for the mega event.

Biren Yadav, who is works in market nearby, said, "There is a watchman in the park but he is not regular. No cleaning drive has been conducted for many days."

According to tourism department, an architect has been engaged to plan the park. "We plan to arrange a laser show on the Battle of Saraighat in the park from this year. For the expansion of the park, a committee was formed under Kamrup (metro) deputy commissioner," said Anurag Singh, managing director of Assam Tourism Development Corporation.

"It's about time the administration got its act together," said Kalita.