Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma visits Poki, commits to preserve historical resources

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala’s first play, ‘Sonit Konwari,’ and the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to Jyoti Bharati Museum ‘Poki,’ chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Poki on Thursday and paid tribute to Jyoti Prasad Agarwala’s portraits.

During his visit, CM Sarma viewed and praised all of the treasures, including books and other documents, Gandhiji’s bed from his visit to Poki, and a mirror from Belgium.

Later, Chief Minister Sarma took part in a Jyoti Bharati-organized discussion with Tezpur’s senior folks in Poki. Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha, and Natasurya Phani Sharma developed and maintained a strong basis of Assamese culture, the chief minister remarked during the interactive gathering. He stated that the state administration is dedicated to the preservation of Assam’s rich cultural legacy. He also encouraged all members of the younger generation to pay a visit to Poki. He stated that steps would be conducted in collaboration with the Directorate of Museums to conserve every item of Poki utilising cutting-edge technology. In this context, he asked DC, Sonitpur to have a discussion with all the leading citizens of Tezpur to draft a mechanism for the scientific preservation of all the belongings of Poki. He said that funds would not be a constraint.

Housing and Urban Affairs minister Ashok Singhal, MP Pallab Lochan Das, MLAs Prithvi Raj Rabha, Krishna Kamal Tanti and several leading citizens were present on the occasion. Lakhya Bijay Kalita, a child prodigy, gifted two of his self-written books to CM Sarma on the sidelines.

Later, chief minister Sarma visited Chowk Bazar, which was badly gutted in May last year. Sarma also spent time with the shopkeepers and traders during his visit and interacted with them. He also inspected the infrastructure being built after the devastating fire.

It may be noted that following the devastating fire, the state government extended its financial help for the traders to reconstruct their business houses. He also asked Housing and Urban Affairs minister Ashok Singhal to take steps at the earliest to rehabilitate the shopkeepers.