Kamakhya Access Corridor Project Awaits IIT Guwahati Approval, Says Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Construction Delayed Pending Geological and Hydrological Assessments; Temple Priests File Petition Over Development Concerns
Assam's Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, stated on Friday that construction on the proposed Kamakhya Access Corridor won't start unless the IIT, Guwahati, approves it.
After praying at the Kamakhya Temple atop the Nilachal Hills here, Sarma informed reporters, "Larsen and Toubro has been assigned to carry out the corridor project and the company has submitted the blueprint and the plans to the IITG for clearance."
The geological and hydrological issues will also be investigated by the IITG, and work won't start until clearance is given.
According to Sarma, IITG has not been given a timetable in this regard, therefore it could take up to four months.
The chief minister stated that there won't be any issues during construction because the Public Works department will merely enlarge and improve the route while offering devotees conveniences.
A few temple priests have filed a writ petition in the Gauhati High Court, raising concerns that planned development work will impact the eternal springs, particularly the one in the 'garbhagriha' (sanctum sanctorum), which is a perennial water source and revered by the followers.
The next hearing date has been set by the court for July 27.
In February of this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Prime Minister's Development Initiative in the North East (PM-DevINE), which includes the Rs 498 crore Kamakhya Access Corridor.
The renowned temple was closed for three days every year during the Ambubachi Mela, but two days after it reopened, the chief minister and his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma offered prayers there.
We always offer prayers on the day the temple doors open, but this year I had to postpone it by two days because of the extraordinary number of people. Sarma prayed to the goddess for the well-being and benefits of every state resident.
On June 22, the temple doors were closed to devotees. However, on June 26, on the festival of Ambubachi Mela, which commemorates the idea that the goddess Kamakhya's yearly menstrual cycle occurs during the period, the temple doors were reopened to the public.
