Tourist village on Majuli map

JORHAT, July 26: Majuli, the world's largest river island, may soon become a major tourist attraction if things go according to plan. An ambitious project report of Rs 43 lakh has been prepared to set up a tourist village at Kamalabari, the commercial hub of the island. "The ambience will be that of a traditional Mising village, but facilities will be no less than in any good hotel," additional deputy commissioner, RK Majumdar told The Telegraph. The Mising tribe dominates the island's population. The ministry of tourism has been contacted and work on the project is likely to start soon. For the benefit of foreign tourists, local youth will learn English, French and Japanese, the official said. Arun Sharma, Rajya Sabha MP, has also released Rs 5 lakh for setting up a tourist lodge in the island. The work on the lodge is estimated to cost Rs 17 lakh, the official said. "The building already exists, but renovations are required," he said. Apart from a rickety government circuit house and a guest house at the Kamalabari satra, there are no accommodation facilities on the island. The Centre has also released Rs 7.5 lakh out of a total sum of 15 lakh for setting up of three museums at Majuli. The three museums will be set up at the Dakhinpat, Kamalabari and Aouniti satras, where manuscripts and artefacts dating back to 500 years will be preserved. The entire project is part of the proposal of the Majuli Island Protection and Development Council, an NGO which has taken up the cause of the world's largest riverine island. Constant erosion by the Brahmaputra over the years has had a telling effect on the island. Majuli has been reduced from 1,200 square km in 1950 to about 800 square km at present. The council, under the presidentship Sharma, had proposed that the island be accorded the status of a world heritage site. The proposal, which was made on two grounds - natural and cultural - was sent to UNESCO through the Centre and is under "active consideration". The 65 satras, set up by the 15th century saint Sankerdev on the island, house precious manuscripts and artefacts which are on the verge of being lost due to the annual flood ravage. "The Rs 7.5-lakh fund has been divided among the three satras," the official said. He said other satras on the island have been asked to contact the department of culture, Government of India, directly for funds to preserve the museums. The official said two experts from the department of archives are currently camping in the island to microfilm the age old manuscripts. As far as protection of the island from the fury of the Brahmaputra is concerned, the forest department has been contacted to prevent erosion through afforestation measures.