State Museum crying for attention!

GUWAHATI, Nov 18: Actions speak louder than words. In December last, Assam Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal announced to make the State Museum a prominent tourist destition. The ground situation a year after, however, tells a different tale.

Prime Minister rendra Modi is on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to clean the country. In Assam, the State Museum does not even have toilet facilities worthy of being used by tourists, on its premises. Moreover, the museum is also running short of human resources, affecting its upkeep.The look of the garden and the fountain that has not been working for years bears testimony to this. 

Speaking to this reporter, Director of Assam State Museum Yazing Shimray Wunglengton said: “No matter our museum has most significant and antique resources enough to allure visitors, their proper upkeep is a must. I have to admit that this place needs some renovation to woo visitors.  If we’re to make it a major tourist destition, we need to have certain facilities. We’ve been doing with skeleton staff for the past two years.”

Wunglengton said: “Major posts of the museum like that of curator, assistant curator, guide lecturer, exhibition officer and conservator have been lying vacant. The magement of the museum has gone haywire. We’re looking for funds to develop toilet facilities for visitors and broadening the area of the cafeteria with an attractive touch to catch the attention of visitors. Only adequate manpower can give magement of the museum a fresh breath of life.”

Wunglengton also feels that it is a dire necessity to give the lobby of the museum a luring touch to as to woo tourists. Such a plan is in pipeline, he said.