Prabhari visits Dhubri to take stock of development of the district

DHUBRI, Dec 16: Prabhari of the Prime Minister’s mission of transforming backward districts visited Dhubri recently to take stock of the situation.

Prabhari, Additiol Secretary of Government of India, Atul Chaturvedi during his visit to Dhubri district held a meeting with district high officials, including Dhubri Deputy Commissioner Ant Lal Gyani and representative of social organizations, on the socio-economic condition of the people.

An official accompanying him informed that the Additiol Secretary had taken keen interest in knowing about potential areas having viability and feasibility for development projects which could transform the district from prevailing  backwardness to all-round  prosperity with uplifting economical condition of the people.

Chaturvedi, accompanied by a host of officials, also visited Asharikandi Terracotta Cluster of villages near Gauripur  of Dhubri district, where Director of North East Craft and Rural Development Organization (Necardo), an NGO, Binoy Bhattacharjee apprised him about the need to take up the development projects  for promotion of terracotta in order to transform  the cluster of villages into a vibrant trading centre there. Necardo has been working in the Asharikandi terracotta cluster of villages for the last 25 years and has shaped the villages and brought the terracotta and pottery industries into limelight.    

Later talking to The Sentinel, Bhattacharjee informed that apart from the raising issues of Asharikandi, Necardo also submitted a memorandum to the Additiol Secretary Atul Chaturvedi, wherein the main problems and areas of concern hindering the development of the district were pointed out.

“Necardo mentioned about perennial flood and erosion by mighty Brahmaputra, trans-border smuggling across the Bangladesh intertiol border, poor employment opportunity, lack of opportunity for higher education, unskilled population, weak economy, iccessibility, unhealthiness, improper implementation of government schemes and malpractices are some of the serious issues which need to be addressed on priority basis,” Bhattacharjee added.

Bhattacharjee also informed that having mentioned about predicaments in the way of the development of Dhubri district, the organization placed some demands and urged upon him to take initiative to transform the district into a developed district in letter and spirit.

While mentioning about some of the positive developments, Bhattacharjee said as Dhubri Medical College was sanctioned and work had already started, railway services reintroduced in 2010 from Dhubri, river port was nearing completion and so the Rupshi Airport was being reopened soon, the government should now take initiative on the other fronts and areas of concern. Necardo’s demands includes developing Dhubri district into a business hub as it is chicken-leg corridor of Northeast India, improvement of higher education by setting up a university, developing the district as heritage sites for promotion of tourism, improvement of stadium for state and tiol level sports, upgrading the dead Gadadhar River from Dhubri to Gauripur to a fishery and ecotourism centre  and introducing Dhaka- Sohat (Dhubri)-Guwahati Bus services.