GUWAHATI, June 23 ? The ancient Umananda temple lying in the midst of the mighty Brahmaputra, which is one of the very few pilgrimage centres in a river island, presents a unique sight. But strangely, this temple has always been in a state of neglect although with a little planning, it could have been developed as a major tourist attraction.
However, things might change for the better as, of late, the Government seems to be waking up to this reality and the district administration is undertaking an elaborate project to turn it into a major tourist destination. The project aims to give a complete facelift to the temple complex and the ? island from beautification to infrastructural development. ?It is sad that such a unique tourist spot is not getting the recognition it deserves. But we are determined to renovate the whole complex,? Kamrup Deputy Commissioner AK Absar Hazarika told The Assam Tribune. ?As part of the project, we have already developed the steps leading to the temple which were in a precarious condition, he said.?
The Umananda hill has beautiful spots which will be developed as gardens with sitting and other recreational facilities for the people. The project also envisages constructing four viewpoints, a dormitory for sanyasis and pilgrims, quarters for the temple staff and three rain shades. ?We also plan to plant golmohar, sonaru and pink kanchan trees around the island which, when in full bloom, would be a breathtaking view,? Hazarika said. Decorative lights at night would add to the beauty of the island, he added. A separate Shivaratri ground will also be created as the temple witnesses a heavy rush during the festival.
Lack of water supply and electricity has been a nagging problem for the temple. Although the Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC) had set up a solar photovoltaic electrification unit there, it is not functioning properly because of poor maintenance. ?We are going to ensure that the temple receives 24-hour water and electricity supply and generators will be used for the purpose,? Hazarika said. The temple staff, however, are sceptic about the assurances. ?We have been told before also that these problems would be addressed. But nothing concrete comes up,? they lamented. Another complaint of the temple staff was that the district administration demolished five shops some time back when Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was scheduled to visit the temple. The Deputy Commissioner, however, brushed aside the allegations saying that those were demolished as part of the temple renovation plan and new structures would be provided to them soon.
Fund crunch has been another problem for the temple. Tarun Chandra Bhattacharya, the priest, said they get only a meagre amount of Rs 7,500 a year from the Government which is hopelessly inadequate to run the temple affairs. ?We get another Rs 500 per year for repair purposes, but that too is not sufficient,? he moaned.
Another factor retarding flow of tourists to the temple is communication bottlenecks. At the moment, very few boats ply to the Umananda and that too without any fixed time schedule. ?We have taken note of this problem and will set up regular ghats. We will also offer new services with the help of the Inland Water Transport (IWT) department. Another very exciting news for the tourists is that a ropeway is likely to come up at the island. The ropeway which is to connect North Guwahati and the city, will have Umananda as the stop in-between. ?Austria, which is renowned for its expertise in ropeways, is eager to offer us technical consultancy,? he said. ?While developing Umananda as a tourist spot, we are also ensuring that environment and ecology of the hill do not become the casualties,? Hazarika said. In order to keep the island pollution-free, the use of plastics and tobacco have been banned.