Assam to spiritual tourist spot: CM

GUWAHATI, June 21: Taking part in the iugural ceremony of Ambubachi Mela as the chief guest today, Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal said that Assam would be turned into a centre of religious and spiritual tourism working around Ambubachi Mela and Kamakhya Temple. 
Saying that Goddess Kamakhya’s temple has established Assam as one of the great spiritual destitions in the country as Kamakhya Temple is one of the 52 ‘shakti peeths’ and all efforts would be made to highlight this great place of worship at the world stage.  Saying that Assamese race should have been one of the advanced races as it has got blessings of the Goddesss, Sonowal lamented that this has not happened because no concerted effort was made to harness tourism potential of this temple. 
“Kamakhya Temple should be the source of light and enlightenment for the world and our government is going to make all efforts in this regard.” Sonowal said. 
Stating that heightened publicity and awareness campaigns have been run in the tiol and intertiol media this time and this has resulted in increased tourist inflow to the city for attending Ambubachi Mela, Sonowal appealed to all the visitors to help the authorities in maintaining cleanliness and hygiene during and after the Mela at the Kamakhya Temple premises.  Saying that Prime Minister rendra Modi’s Swach Bharat Abhiyan must be made successful in all spheres of the society and people must extend their support towards this initiative to keep our surroundings clean. 
Terming every citizen of Guwahati as an ambassador of the city’s heritage and culture, Sonowal called on the denizens to give a good account of the state’s hospitality by helping the visitors and tourists coming to the Ambubachi Mela. In light of renewed thrust of Act East Policy, Guwahati would turn into the gateway of South East Asia in the future and State capital region has also been planned expanding into the nearby areas of the city and therefore visitors to the city must be given a good account of the place, Sonowal added. 
Referring to the Prime Minister Modi’s quote of “NE as the New Engine of growth for a New India,” Sonowal said that all sections of the society must join hands for making this state and region developed as only government alone cannot make schemes and plans successful. The young generation of the state must be educated about the rich heritage and culture of the state so that they can spread the awareness about the state outside, he said
Minister of Tourism Himanta Biswa Sarma said that lot of development plans for Kamakhya has been initiated and redevelopment of the historic ‘Mekhela Ujua’ road built origilly by rakasur following the order of Goddess Kamakhya is also being planned. The minister also said that another approach road to the temple is going to be built from the Pandu side and tour of the temple by water taxi by Inland Water Transport Department is also being planned. Kamakhya Temple would be developed in line with other pilgrimage sites of the country like Vaishno Devi and main approach road to Kamakhya Temple would also be widened, Sarma said.    
PWD Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, Media and Legal Advisers to the Chief Minister Hrishikesh Goswami and Santanu Bharali, Guwahati Mayor Mrigen Sarania, ATDC chairman Jayanta Malla Barua, Bordoloi of Kamakhya Temple Mohit Sarma, among other dignitaries, were also present at the meeting. 

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