JORHAT, May 5 � At a little distance away from the serene Kamalabari Ghat, every foreign and domestic tourist will soon get a glimpse of all significant sites, cultural displays, Vaishnavite traditions, folk dance, music and songs of Majuli. The architectural design of the recently approved gateway to the river island will showcase all this to the visitors on their way to the newly-constructed tourist information centre.
� The Majuli Cultural Landscape Management Authority (MCLMA) has sanctioned Rs 10 lakh for the construction of the gateway project which is expected to be completed within this year,� said Manavendra Pratap Singh, Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) of Majuli, who is also the executive officer of the MCLMA.
Singh said the gateway has been designed to make every tourist familiar with the rich cultural heritage and century-old Sattriya traditions, folk culture of the major tribes, including the Mising community, of the river island, which have already made Majuli a popular destination for foreign and domestic tourists as well.
Besides presenting the picturesque images of the heritage island, the gateway is designed to provide information on the lifestyle of the islanders and their skills in various trades, including the traditional handloom industry, local handicraft and mask making. Mask making has been made popular by a few artists like Hem Chandra Goswami across India and abroad.
The number of tourists has been increasing in Majuli due to its significant heritage and the scenic natural environment. According to the officers of the Assam Tourism Development Corporation Limited, out of 19,953 foreigners and 44,38,870 domestic tourists received by the State in 2014, several thousands of them visited Majuli.
�But the infrastructure needs, which include environment-friendly lodging facilities (as desired by a number of tourists), promotional activities for river tourism on the Brahmaputra river, adequate number of trained tourist guides and an easy information system, are still not adequate in the river island, which would definitely have helped the State Government to earn more foreign currency,� said Pranjal Saikia, a local youth of Kamalabari.
Meanwhile, members of local organisations have expressed their gratitude to the MCLMA for initiating steps to promote tourism in Majuli through the new gateway project at Kamalabari.
