Assam Oil Division faces Public Wrath over Promised Zubeen Udyan

OUR CORRESPONDENT

DIGBOI: A year after an assurance was publicly linked to the Assam Oil Division (AOD) over the proposed development of a ‘Zubeen Udyan’ in Digboi, public patience appeared to be wearing thin on Saturday, as hundreds gathered at the site on the legendary singer Zubeen Garg’s first death anniversary and ceremonially laid his cremated remains there.

The gathering, attended by representatives of several community, student and socio-cultural organisations, transformed the proposed site into a focal point of public sentiment and renewed the question that has been hanging over the proposal for months: when will an assurance made in public translate into action on the ground?

The development assumes significance against the backdrop of an apparent gap between the position conveyed locally and the status of the proposal at the higher level.

AOD General Manager (HR) Amar Borgohain had reportedly visited the site and, during a formal programme following Zubeen Garg’s death, publicly stated that the proposed park would be dedicated to the singer. However, an earlier response from AOD’s Corporate Communications Department to North East Now indicated that a formal response from the organisation’s higher authority in Delhi was still awaited.

The contrasting positions have left the proposed memorial project seemingly caught between a public assurance at the local level and an approval process that, according to the earlier communication, remained pending.

Pro-talk ULFA leader-turned-social worker Jiten Dutta, who was among those raising the issue, alleged that the assurance made by the AOD, Digboi unit, a year ago had failed to move beyond words. He said that the people would seek to develop the site as Zubeen Udyan and proposed that a large statue of the singer be erected there on his birth anniversary. Dutta also gave the AOD management one month to respond to the demand, warning of consequences if the issue remained unresolved.

The sentiment was echoed by Babul Gogoi, described as a former worker of the banned ULFA, who asserted that the campaign would continue until the demand was fulfilled.

Also Read: Zubeen Kshetra Turns Into a Hub of Tributes as Fans Celebrate Zubeen Garg’s Legacy