Developing religious, heritage tourism
Assam is focusing on developing religious and heritage tourism to attract tourists. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state does not have modern infrastructure for tourism and if it wants to promote this sector, it will have to develop its religious and heritage sites. He said the tourist footfall has increased and the government wants to increase it further. “We have taken up Rang Ghar (house of entertainment). I will visit Talatal Ghar (underground palace and military base) the next time I go to Sivasagar. We have to do something there. We are also thinking of the Kamakhya corridor,” Sarma said.
Prices of vegetables go through the roof
The recent first wave of the floods in Assam was not massive but the prices of green vegetables have skyrocketed across the state, particularly in Guwahati. Most vegetables are being sold at Rs 80-100 a kg here. The prices of green chillies, tomatoes and ginger have gone through the roof. Green chillies are being sold at Rs 300 a kg, tomato at Rs 120 and ginger at Rs 250-280. The prices of vegetables in Guwahati usually are higher than that of other cities. Residents say the wholesalers and retailers increased prices arbitrarily. Government officials warned retailers against doing so.
CM asked to spend money ‘judiciously’
The Assam Jatiya Parishad has advised CM Himanta Biswa Sarma to judiciously use funds from the state exchequer. The party said it is unnecessary for a state, which is struggling financially and running its affairs with loans, to demolish government buildings and renovate them. The party warned that if such activities continued, Assam would go bankrupt. The government has demolished some buildings in Guwahati to rebuild them and has plans to rebuild some others. It has plans to shift the Gauhati High Court from its current location in Guwahati to North Guwahati. Recently, hundreds of lawyers staged a protest against this move.
Prasanta mazumdar
Our correspondent in Guwahati
prasantamazumdar@newindianexpress.com