NEW DELHI, March 13 � Even as the illegal Bangladeshi migrants issue continues to rage in Assam, the Centre and Assam Government are nowhere near implementation of the vital Clause Six of Assam Accord, despite the lapse of 28 years.
In 2006, the Government of Assam constituted a committee for the second time to examine all issues relating to the implementation of the Clause Six of the Assam Accord. The committee had held a number of meetings and sought the views of different political parties, Sahitya Sabhas, youth organisations, student bodies on the definition of �Assamese People�.
After the present State Government assumed office in May 2011, a Cabinet Sub-Committee was also constituted in July 2011 to inter-alia deal with the matter of implementation of Clause Six of the Assam Accord. The entire matter is now under the purview of the State Cabinet Sub-Committee, the Minister of State for Home Affairs M Ramachandran said in reply to a question by Biren Baishya.
After a series of meetings, an interim report on Clause Six of the Accord was prepared by the Sub-Committee in July 1999. The Sub-Committee in its report inter alia recommended amendments in Article 3 of the Constitution of India, reservation of seats to the Parliament, State legislatures, and local bodies for Assamese people and protection of monuments and places of cultural and historical monuments in Assam. However, consensus on the definition of �Assamese people� and the criteria for the reservations in the Parliament, State legislatures, and local bodies could not be arrived at and the proposal could not reach its logical conclusion, admitted the Minister of State for Home Affairs.
In 1998, two separate tripartite Sub-Committees involving the representatives of the Government of India, the Government of Assam and All Assam Students� Union (AASU) were set up to examine the proposals under Clauses Six and Seven of the Assam Accord.
However, some measure taken to implement Clause Six of the Assam Accord included establishment of Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati at a cost of Rs 18.85 crore and establishment of Jyoti Chitraban (Film) Studio at Guwahati at a cost of Rs 18.79 crore.
The Archaeological Survey of India has taken up projects for preservation of five monuments in Assam, including Singri Temple ruins, Urvashi archaeological site, Poa-Mecca Hajo, Kedar Temple, Hajo and Hayagriva Madhav Temple, Hajo.
Besides, the Government of Assam has also provided funds to the tune of Rs 28 crore for protection, preservation and development of 175 Sattras during the years 2009-10, 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Besides, under Clause Seven of the Assam Accord, Numaligarh Refinery was set up at a cost of nearly Rs 2,500 crore, two Central universities � one at Tezpur and the other at Silchar � have been set up, an IIT has been set up at Guwahati, Kathalguri Power Project (60 MW) has been commissioned, work for implementation of Assam Gas Cracker Project at a cost of Rs 8920 crore have started.