Kamakhya Temple’s Barpujari files petition in Gauhati HC against corridor project

Guwahati, May 23: A writ petition challenging the proposed Maa Kamakhya Corridor project has been filed in the Gauhati High Court, alleging potential ecological risks due to large-scale demolition, excavation, and reconstruction. The petitioner, Navajyoti Sarma, a Barpujari of the Kamakhya temple, has raised concerns about the lack of proper ecological and hydrological surveys preceding the project.

The court has issued notices to all respondents, including the Union Government, the State Government, the Archaeological Survey of India, PWD (Building and National Highway), the Director of Archaeology, Assam, and Larsen and Toubro Limited, among others. The next hearing is scheduled for June 3.

Sarma’s petition highlights the probable impact of excavation on sacred underground streams connecting the Kamakhya temple and other temples of the Neelachal Hill, which are crucial for rituals and worship. Such streams are an integral part of the temple and also an intrinsic part of the rituals in Kamakhya, as touching the holy water is imperative to Kamakhya darshan.

Senior advocate Upamanyu Hazarika, representing the petitioner, emphasised that the Kamakhya temple and its surrounding temples lack protection under relevant archaeological acts.

“The Maa Kamakhya temple and the other temples of the Kamakhya complex have not been notified under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958 and the Assam Monuments and Records Act 1959 as protected monuments. Also, worship and rituals in Kamakhya temple are associated with its sacred geography, which will be affected due to the proposed construction work,” Hazarika said.

The petitioner has also pleaded with the court to direct the authorities concerned to declare the Kamakhya and other temples in the vicinity as protected monuments under the respective Central and State legislation.

The Maa Kamakhya Corridor project, akin to the Kashi-Vishwanath Temple Corridor in Varanasi, aims to boost tourism and enhance pilgrimage experiences. As part of the plan, the cumulative space around the temple shall be increased considerably. The petitioner has also demanded a hydrological study by an independent authority before proceeding with the construction plan.

-By Staff Reporter