HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, April 24: The largest wetland in the Northeast and the second largest in Asia, Son Beel, is set for a big-budget facelift if the recently proposed funds are approved by the Union government.
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The shimmering water of the fresh water lake coupled with the natural beauty of the hills surrounding it, a vibrant fishing community with rich folk culture and wide avian and Piscean population makes the area in Southern Assam’s Karimganj district an ideal tourist spot.
Karimganj deputy commissioner Mridul Yadav has written to the state government of Assam, transformation and development department, submitting a proposal amounting to Rs 60 crore for the ‘Development of Son Beel as a Tourist Destination’ in the district.
“There are many line department projects incorporated into the initial report that includes forest, agriculture, water resource, fishery and tourism development. Initially we are submitting a concept paper and once it has been sanctioned, more detailed and micro level project details will be prepared,” Karimganj DC Mridul Yadav said.
It is to be mentioned that the wetland is spread over more than 3,000 hectares and is fed mostly by the ‘Singla’ river. The most amazing thing about the Beel is that it becomes a farm land for rice cultivation during winter till March and then the land fills with water to become a lake. The less depth of the lake makes it overflow during the rainy season and the water meets Kushiara River through Kakra River and flows to Bangladesh.
Evergreen Forest comprises 40% peripheral area of the Beel, which is abundantly rich in fish biodiversity and around 69 different fish species are found among which small fishes are the most. It also houses migrant Siberian birds for 3 months every year.
Karimganj MP Kripanath Mallah also shared his ecstasy on the development and expressed that if the project gets materialised it will open up a new horizon of development in the region.
“The project will focus on all round development of the area. Apart from building tourism infrastructure, we will also focus on sustainable development of the ecosystem,” MP Mallah said.
It’s noteworthy to mention that Son Beel is surrounded by 100 nos. of villages and more than 50,000 populations are directly dependent on Son Beel for their livelihood by way of fishing and paddy cultivation.
Recently, Assam Power Generation Corporation Limited (APGCL) has also invited bids from consultants to conduct a feasibility study and prepare a detailed project report for a 70-90 MW floating solar project at Son Beel lake in the district.
While sharing his reaction, Ratabari legislator Bijoy Malakar expressed satisfaction on the district administration’s initiative and hoped that soon Son Beel will be included in the tourism map of India.
“Time and again I met with the chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Finance minister Ajanta Neog urging funds for the development of the wetland. I am happy that the state government has taken action in this direction. We are fortunate enough to get such a visionary chief minister,” expressed Malakar.
He said that developing the Son Beel as a tourist spot will be a new dawn in the development of Ratabari Constituency.
“The development package is still in the proposal stage and we are waiting for the government’s nod. Thereafter a detailed outline of the project will be laid,” concluded DC Yadav.
