Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The photo above tells at least two tales. This artificial village that was erected in the run-up to the cancelled visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Assam could have been an asset even as the purpose for which it was erected could not be served.
First, this artificial village was erected in such a way that it depicts the cultural mosaic of Assam and the way of life in the State. And for such intrinsic features the artificial village that was part of the project done by spending crores of rupees could have lured tourists and generate revenue, if used that way.
Second, the desecrated picture of the artificial village tells nothing but erosion of social values in the State, besides lack of proper upkeep of valuables on the part of the authorities concerned. A piercing look at the picture will let one see a number of emptied liquor bottles and dirty linen, maybe used by beggars, packets of munchies etc lying here and there in the fenced artificial village whose gate is still closed. It seems that the sanctity of the pristine artificial village which is telling visitors a lot about Assam has been desecrated, ruthlessly. This artificial village is one of the structures erected at Lachitghat in Guwahati on the eve of the cancelled visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to the State. Crores of rupees were spent for welcoming the Prime Minister from the neighbouring country and his cancelled nouka vehar (boating) in the Brahmaputra with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. If assets once created -- be them sports infrastructure created during the last National Games or the recent Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati or the cancelled visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to the State -- need proper upkeep, failing which we can never accrue any benefits from the money already spent on them. This is a big loss, both ethically and monetarily, apart from glaringly exposing the erosion of social values.