GUWAHATI, March 11 � AGP leader and former Chief Minister Prafulla Mahanta today criticised the State government for the decision of the Sangeet Natak Akademi to shift its centre from Guwahati to Agartala, saying that it was the Assam Government�s failure to allot a small plot of land to the Akademi that prompted the latter to shift to the neighbouring state of Tripura.
Mahanta, who raised the issue during Zero Hour in the Assembly today, said it was appalling that the State government which had facilitated large-scale transfer of prime land to corporate groups should have acted so miserly when the Sangeet Natak Akademi required just one bigha of land.
�It reflects poorly on the State Government�s commitment to the cause of the State�s art and culture,� he added.
Cultural Affairs Minister Bismita Gogoi, in her reply, said that Sangeet Natak Akademi did not make any correspondence with the State Government regarding their decision to shift to Tripura. ��we are ready to give land to it,� she added.
Speaker Pranab Gogoi asked the Minister to treat the matter seriously and take it up with Sangeet Natak Akademi so that they did not have to shift to outside Assam.
