CM vows to preserve indigenous heritage of Khaspur, Bhuvan Hills in Barak Valley

Silchar, Sept19: Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday assured that the Khaspur Rajbari which was the capital of the last Kachari kingdom and houses the monuments will be well preserved and turned into a tourist destination in Barak Valley.

Along with Minister of Tourism Bimal Bora, Minister of Forest Parimal Suklabaidya, MPs of Silchar and Tezpur Dr Rajdeep Roy and Pallab Lochan Das, MLAs Mihir Kanti Shome, Dipayan Chakraborty and Kaushik Rai, the Chief Minister walked across the sprawling 100 bigha premise of the erstwhile Kachari kingdom and witnessed the monuments and a yesteryear park as well.

"We are all aware of the rich history of the Dimasa kingdom. The lack of Government attention to preserve and protect the legacy has turned the heritage destination into shambles. But we will take up a project which would revamp the location and turn it into a tourist attraction in Barak Valley. The project might cost Rs 100 crores but we will work on it to preserve and protect the Dimasa capital place. The Department of Indigenous Faith and Culture will take note of such places of traditional importance, provide scholarships to the students from the indigenous groups, construct hostels for them which will help the Dimasa community and other indigenous communities to prosper. Also, steps would be taken to strengthen the Barman Dimasa Kachari Development Council," the Chief Minister told the people.

The Chief Minister was seen shaking hands with the locals and taking selfies as well. He informed that the demand given by the local MLA Mihir Kanti Shome for completion of the road connecting Silchar to Haflong and the Pailapool to Redzol road in the Dima Hasao district which is incorporated under the Assam Mala scheme shall be completed. Minister of Tourism Bimal Bora, on the sidelines of the visit, informed that the place has tremendous potential for tourism for which research would be done and appropriate measures would be taken to preserve and glorify the rich heritage of the erstwhile Kachari kingdom. Udharbondh MLA Mihir Kanti Shome informed that the 49kms Silchar to Haflong road which was once also known as the Silchar-Shillong road and the 64 kms road from Pailapool via Kumachora (including 22 kms under Udharbond constituency) to Redzol when completed would lessen the woes of the people of Barak Valley to reach the state capital. Silchar MP Dr Rajdeep Roy also spoke on the occasion.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister unveiled the statue of Raja Gobindachandra Narayana Hasnu, the last king of Cachar (Heramba) at the entrance of Circuit House and paid floral tributes expressing his happiness and pride. Dr Sarma also visited the historic Bhuban Hills wherein the shrine of Lord Shiva which is being worshipped for generations. In his words, "both Khaspur and Bhuban Hills located in Dholai constituency in which the cave of Lord Shiva was discovered by Raja Krishnachandra Narayana almost 900 years ago would be developed into attractive tourist destinations for people to visit and learn about the rich heritage of Barak Valley.

It may be mentioned that as a part of his two-day visit to Barak Valley, the Chief Minister, on Saturday laid the foundation stone of a multi-utility building in the premises of the Indian Red Cross Society Silchar branch for which Rs 50 lakh has been sanctioned.