As preliminary works for the flyover connecting Dighalipukhuri point with Bamunimaidan area in Guwahati has begun, Journalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) urged Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to initiate a separate arrangement for the benefit of hundreds of media professionals in the city.
The construction of the flyover, which is expected to be completed by 2026, will drastically reduce working space at the Gauhati Press Club, especially curbing vehicle parking.
CM Sarma has recently announced that construction works for the longest flyover of Assam – around six kilometer – has started and it will be completed by 2026. Expressing hope that the project would ease connectivity significantly, Sarma requested all concerned citizens to support the initiative. The city-based media persons may also come forward cooperating with the government, said JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria.
However, the Gauhati Press Club which currently is functioning from an important archaeological site, will lose the front area to the flyover and it will finally create a major problem for the members and visitors for parking their vehicles during the construction period and even after its completion. Moreover, conscious citizens have been demanding to shift the press club so that the richest Ambari archaeological site can be accommodated for necessary preservation and research works, a statement from JFA said on December 2.
Situated in the heart of Kamrup Metro district, the site has been excavated several times since 1968 to find more archaeological remains. The archaeology department claims that the ruins of Ambari reflect the period of Sunga-Kushana dynasty. Discovered in the course of constructions for the Reserve Bank of India’s office in that locality, the site attracts visitors from different parts of the country every day.
The forum appealed to the concerned individuals to take a pragmatic decision to relocate the press club on the plot of land, which was sanctioned by the government a few months back, so that the growing number of professional journalists associated with newspapers, television channels, radio outlets and digital platforms can have a permanent address. It also appealed to everyone to show the commitment to make the Ambari site encroachment-free as early as possible.
