BISWANATH CHARIALI, Aug 16 - The people of Biswanath and Gohpur subdivisions came out on the streets in large numbers and expressed their happiness when the Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, announced the declaration of Biswanath as a separate district along with four other new districts in his Independence Day speech at Khanapara in Guwahati on Saturday.
The people under the banner of organizations like � Biswanath District Demand Committee, AASU, AJYCP, AAGSU, Sachetan Eikya Mancha, Bangali Jatiya Parishad, AATTSA, AASAA, AAMSU, AKSU, among others � took out processions and bike rallies to express their gratitude to the government.
Blasting of fire crackers on the roads was a common sight throughout the day. In fact, the declaration appeared to be the yield of a 19-year-long agitation that had started in 1996 under the leadership of some far-sighted people ranging areas from Howajan to Jia Bharali.
It may be mentioned here that Biswanath Police District was declared almost a year ago. From administrative point of view, Tezpur, the headquarters of the present district Sonitpur, is a distant place for the people of eastern part of Biswanath and Gohpur. It takes almost five to six hours from Howajan to reach Tezpur resulting in much difficulty to the common people, particularly for those who visit for official and medical purposes.
On the other hand, the northern parts of Biswanath and Gohpur are often found to be trouble-torn areas for manly insurgency problems and border conflicts with neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. The declaration of district came to be a big relief for both the people and administrators.
The decision has been widely hailed here by many a man. The office-bearers and workers of all the organisations involved in the district demand agitation and social workers welcomed the government�s decision and expressed their gratitude for making the dream of the people of Biswanath and Gohpur a reality.
