Kamakhya Access Corridor Project Work To Resume In 2-3 Months: Assam CM

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Kamakhya temple along with his wife this morning and offered prayers here. He said construction of Kamakhya Corridor will start after getting IIT Guwahati's approval, which will take around two to three months.

Guwahati:The construction work of the stalled Kamakhya Corridor will start as per the advice of the IIT Guwahati experts, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday. He also assured that the project would not cause any damage to the Kamakhya temple complex and the residents of Nilachal hill.

Sarma visited the Kamakhya temple today after the conclusion of the annual Ambubachi Mela. He reached Kamakhya temple along with his wife. He sought blessings from the Goddess and prayed for the well-being of the people of Assam.

On the sidelines of his visit to the temple, Sarma said, "After bagging the tender, Larsen and Toubro has got the responsibility of the construction of the corridor. They have already handed over its drawing to IIT Guwahati. After IIT Guwahati approves it we can start work in two to three months."

Notably, IIT Guwahati was given responsibility of examining the drawing after complications rose in the construction of the Kamakhya Corridor. Work of the corridor will begin only after getting approval from IIT Guwahati, CM said.

Shops in the Kamakhya campus will need to be evicted for the construction of the corridor. CM said that shops that are to be demolished will be rebuilt inside the corridor. Apart from this, five to six houses will have to be demolished and arrangements will be made to construct those in other places, he added.

Speaking on the Ambubachi Mela, Sarma said, "The tradition of devotees coming to the Ambubachi Mela was not there before. Those who come to Ambubachi, meditate here. But as more publicity is being done about the mela, there is more eagerness among people to come here."

Referring to the huge rush in Ambubachi, he said, "The place is a hill, it cannot actually bear the weight of so many people."

"Some inconveniences were caused due to the overcrowding of devotees during Ambubachi. We are planning to make arrangements below the temple to accommodate 4,000 people," he added.

What is the Kamakhya Temple corridor ?

Kamakhya Temple Access Corridor is a project to be constructed under the Prime Minister's North Eastern Development Initiative (Prime Minister's Development Initiative for North Eastern Region, PM-DevINE) at a cost of Rs 402 crore. The Kamakhya temple and its premises are to be modernised under the announced project. The Department of Public Works (Housing and Highways), Government of Assam, was given the responsibility of concept planning for the implementation of this project.

The plan for Maa Kamakhya Office Access Corridor project consists of several multi-storey buildings which will be constructed near Kamakhya temple. These will include clock rooms, ticket counters, information centres, souvenir shops and others.

On the other hand, the multi utility block will have access points for VVIPs, trust offices, eateries, kitchens, restaurants, libraries, VVIP launches and VVIP services on terrace. There will be arrangements for accommodation of pilgrims (3 floors where 14,000 people can accommodate), shops in Prasad block, security guards and volunteers in the service block. These buildings will be constructed around Kamakhya temple and adjoining temples.

It may be noted that according to the tender called for the implementation of this project by PWD on November 28, 2023, these buildings will be four-storey with basements.

Legal battle over the Kamakhya Corridor

On the other hand, there has also been a controversy over the construction of the Kamakhya corridor. The matter has already reached the court. On June 19, during the hearing of the Kamakhya Temple Corridor case, the prosecution had filed an affidavit asking not to start the construction of the Kamakhya Temple Corridor till the expert report of the IIT was received.

It may be recalled that two writ petitions and public interest litigations were filed in the Gauhati High Court challenging the construction of the Kamakhya Corridor.

The petition filed by Nabajyoti Sharma, a priest at the Kamakhya temple, highlights many aspects of the impending threat to the Kamakhya temple due to the construction of the proposed corridor. On the other hand, the priest community associated with Kamakhya temple has expressed concern over the implementation of this project without hydrological and geological study of Nilachal hills.

As per them, project construction work in Kamakhya temple can have a serious impact on its geological environment. In a recent hearing, Ravi Kota, the chief secretary to the Government of Assam, in an affidavit in the court, said IIT Guwahati has been asked to study the matter. The affidavit also stated that the government will start work on the corridor on the basis of a report submitted by the institute.

Read more