NORTH GUWAHATI, Nov 28 � Synchronising with the Lachit Divas on November 24, a public meeting, where various sections of people from North Guwahati and Guwahati were present, was held at the Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir in Guwahati.
The meeting held under the auspices of the Demand Committee espousing the need to link both banks of the Brahmaputra was presided over by Dr Kokil Bezboruah, president of the Demand Committee. IIT professor Dr Arup Kumar Sarmah, ex-MLA Ajoy Dutta, Dr Anjan Jyoti Choudhury, singer and social activist, journalist Keshab Kalita, social activist Khanindra Chandra Das, Dhajya Boruah, adviser and secretary of the Demand Committee Diganta Bora argued with data that the demand for linking both banks of the city by a bridge, supporting the movement of light vehicles, has been kept in the cold storage since the past three decades.
The chief coordinator of the Demand Committee, Mrinaleswar Goswami anchored the meet. Noted artist Badal Das illuminated the lamps before the portrait of Lachit Borphukan. In his speech, the appointed speaker, Prof Arup Sarmah of IIT(G), while justifying the demand for a link bridge to ease the communication bottlenecks between the two banks of the city, said that there are 22 bridges over the Mekong river, while the Hwangho and the Ganges rivers have 28 and 15 respectively according to a finding of 2010. Prof Sarmah ruled out any technical difficulties in executing the project. Social activist K Das said that the people of Assam are ignored by both the State and Central Governments unless there is a movement.
Later, the people shouted slogans in favour of the fulfilment of their demand.
The Demand Committee resolved to send the proposal for the construction of a bridge as to the Central Government through the State Government, which was urged to take up a proposal in this respect in the coming Winter Session.
