Holiness meets cleanliness

Umanda Temple

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Nov 1: Talking tough often pays off, and an example to this effect is at hand – Assam Governor Prof. Jadish Mukhi on Friday found Umanda Temple premises neat and clean.

A month back, the Governor had to talk tough on the district administration for the temple ambience being unhygienic. On the occasion of his birthday, Prof. Mukhi visited the temple and supervised the cleanliness drive taken out under the district administration for a month.

Addressing the gathering on Peacock Island on Friday, Prof. Mukhi said: “The last month I visited this place with my family. Its ambience was quite different from what it is now. Though such things are not under my jurisdiction, being a religious person I felt very bad that such a beautiful place was littered with filths due to poor upkeep. It was littered with plastic materials. There was no drinking water facility, nor was there any loo.” “I didn’t know, under whose supervision this temple runs. After knowing that it comes under district administration’s supervision, I called upon the Deputy Commissioner to my office and showed him all my anguish over the issue. He assured me of fixing things in one week, but I gave him one month, and visited today, exactly one month after my last visit. The difference of the temple premise then and now can be compared with the difference between day and night. I congratulate district administration for their success.” Kamrup Metro Deputy Commissioner M Angamuthu, who accompanied the Governor in the visit, said, “The cleanliness drive was carried out throughout November.  Basic refurbishments of the temple and its surroundings, power supply, toilet facilities of the temple have been developed with the help of tiol Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).” The deputy commissioner said that the temple is proposed to have a shoe counter, a kiosk for ritual items, a cafeteria, Pujari’s residence, toilets,  view points, terraced landscape, bamboo wood central deck , a VIP lounge, steel staircase, Umnda Ghat stairway, shade garden and turescape horticulture. He said that the second phase of the drive will start as soon as it is directed by the Governor and sanctioned by the State Government.