GUWAHATI, Dec 9 - �Kamakhya is one of the most important Shakti peeths in the country and it is our solemn duty to keep the temple premises clean. Many devotees seeking Maa Kamakhya�s blessings visit the place from within the country and abroad and a clean environment would present the best impression of the State to the visitors.� Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said this today while inaugurating the project for development of Kamakhya temple complex as a �Swachh Iconic Place�.
Saying that the State government is making concerted efforts to develop Kamakhya temple as one of the cleanest pilgrimage sites in the country to realise the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi�s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Sonowal announced that the tourism department has lots of plans for developing the temple premises and he also urged the department to come up with ways to make the shrine more accessible to elderly and divyangs.
Thanking Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan for releasing Rs 25 crore for the project to develop the temple, Sonowal expressed happiness that the Central government has been extending full cooperation in harnessing the tourism potential of the State. He also sought the cooperation of Kamakhya Bordoloi society to implement the developmental schemes and modernise the amenities on the temple premises.
Union Minister Pradhan said that Assam has so much to offer to the tourists, from natural beauty to pilgrimage sites, that they must be harnessed properly to develop the tourism industry and the Central government is always ready to actively cooperate in this regard. Saying that the Kamakhya temple is a prominent pilgrimage site where devotees from all over the world come to seek the Mother�s blessings, he asserted that both the Centre and the State government are working hand-in-hand to develop this important place of worship.
Tourism Minister and local MLA of Jalukbari Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said Kamakhya temple�s prominence among the country�s pilgrimage sites is obvious and the development project would ensure betterment of the temple premises at a fast pace. He also thanked the Oil India Limited (OIL) for extending cooperation to the development project under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.
Chairman and Managing Director of OIL Utpal Bora gave the welcome address at the programme, which was also attended by Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd Chairman Jayanta Malla Baruah, GMC Mayor Mrigen Sarania, Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia, Commissioner of Tourism Department RC Jain and Bordoloi Mohit Chandra Sarmah among others.