GOLAKGANJ, July 10 - People here have expressed concern over the poor condition of the Dhubri Museum located in the heart of the historic Dhubri town due to the alleged indifference of the authorities concerned. Though the museums of the State have been playing a pivotal role in research and education activities, the authorities concerned � particularly the State Department of Cultural Affairs � have not been able to pay due attention to their upkeep, conscious sections of people here maintained.
The Dhubri Museum was established in 1988. After functioning from a rented house at the District Home Guards Office, Dhubri, for several years, the museum was shifted to the Dhubri District Library in November 2003 with a permanent set-up.
The neglected museum got a new shape due to the selfless zeal of a section of upright officials and prominent citizens of Dhubri. At present, it houses altogether 2,000 precious objects and relics, providing a lot of information about the past history of the State.
But due to the alleged indifferent attitude of the district administration, the museum, which is an inseparable part of the heritage of the historic town, is yet to achieve a full-fledged status.
Museum office-bearers pointed out that historically important objects discovered at various places of the district including Moterjhar, Rupshi, Gauripur, Mankachar, Chapor and Panbari have been kept in the museum. Other valuable relics kept elsewhere in the district are yet to be relocated to the museum. The Government and the departments concerned have to come forward to make people aware of these aspects.
The museum employees alone have been looking after the historical resources with utmost dedication in a bid to provide knowledge to visitors and the common people. They have, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the �lackaidical attitude� of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Assam, towards this cause. Due to a fund crunch, the museum has been in a sorry state since the last several years, they rued.
�Sometimes we feel dejected that the Government allots funds for various developmental schemes, but not to our department which has remained totally neglected,� the employees added.
It may be mentioned here that among the collected statues of the museum, there are many which belong to the British era. Many sculptures from different temples are a centre of attraction. Ancient puthis (books) are also on display. Among them, some are in Sanskrit and others are in the Assamese language. Eighty coins belonging to the Mughal, Ahom and British periods and some equipment used by the tribal communities have also been showcased.
The museum employees have also collected paintings by some distinguished artistes on their own for display.
