Skip to content Skip to navigation

NGO demands a freedom fighters’ park in Guwahati

By Daya Nath Singh |

Citizens’ First , an NGO has demanded the land vacated by shifting of Guwahati Central Jail from Fancy Bazaar area of the city to be converted into a freedom fighters’ park with green coverage and installation of Martyrs’ column.


In a memorandum submitted to the Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi recently, the NGO President Jagannath Chakraborty, Working President Ajoy Dutta, Ex-MLA and General Secretary Jagannath Das have urged an important issue relating to utilization and preservation of 64 Bighas of land vacated by shifting of Central jail from the city to outside.


The memorandum pointed out that the Fancy Bazaar and surrounding areas in the midst of the city have become more congested and crowded due to allowing construction of multistoried and high-rise buildings in its nook and corner. Roads of the area are also not sufficiently wide for safe and smooth movement of the citizens. There is no open space to take breadth. It has come to the notice of the organization that the land of the Central Jail, Guwahati, is going to be handed over the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority. Therefore the organization has thought it proper to bring this suggestion.


During the Independence movement of the country many freedom fighters were jailed in this Central Jail. Even the leaders of the first Refinery movement were also put in this jail for months together. Nobody can deny the sacrifice of those great leaders of the state. The NGO has felt that there is utmost need to preserve the memory of such great ‘Sons of the soil’. Therefore, it has suggested that the entire land of the Central Jail should be utilized as Freedom Fighters Park, with a big ‘Martyrs’ Column’ in the memory of martyrs of freedom struggle. Entire available land should be made green with fruits and flower bearing trees. The administrative building and boundary walls of the Central Jail should be preserved as ‘heritage site’. The name has also been suggested for the park as ‘Gandhi Maidan’.


It is a fact that all urban centers large or small require open spaces with abundant green cover to act as lungs, such areas help in reducing air pollution and make cities and towns more live able. Guwahati city with its unimpeded and largely haphazard growth is well on its way to becoming a more problematic city. Today open space in the city has become scare. At present agents of the land brokers, builders, middlemen, land mafias, are creating more problems with the available land in the city and the surroundings. There is need of strong state action against such elements, which are making the life of the common people most miserable, the NGO’s memorandum has added.


It has further mentioned that in case of natural disaster like earthquake, only available open space can give relief to the victims of such calamities. Government agencies also cannot deny the need of such open space in thickly populated city like Guwahati. Therefore the construction should not be allowed in the jail land. No permission should be given to any business house to open their shops or other establishments on the jail land. The encroached jail land should be made free from the clutches of the encroachers. The area outside the Central Jail may be utilized as parking space.


The Citizens’ First, has appealed to the Chief Minister to take immediate measures on the issue in the better interest of all sections of the society considering the ground realities of the situation.

  • 8609 reads

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

People react to CM’s outburst

Recent price hike in essential commodities has badly affected the common people throughout the country in general and the citizens of urban and rural areas of Assam are the most sufferers. Most of the consumer items are imported to this state from other states of the country, as the local production is not sufficient to cater the local needs. The state administration ‘lacking the will-power’ to establish industries, has to bring almost all manufactured goods to the state from outside. While entering into the state the carriers of such goods have to suffer a lot at the check gates established by the state government and managed by the state officials and the ‘brokers...

Who cares for Assam’s development?

With recent reports on developmental activities in Assam, it seems that nobody desires the betterment and development of the state. The state administration, student organization, political leaders, bureaucrats, officials and various growing mushroom-like organizations, all are running after money and ‘easy money’. Assam’s industry minister, Pradyut Bardoloi recently came out openly on certain student leaders, who demand money from the industrialists, who come here to invest their money for the development of the state. He cited an example of such demand from a cement factory at Dimoria, to be started by the Star Cement. an organization of repute. The government has...

Guwahati IGNOU into CBI trap, Chief likely to become scapegoat

The Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) has arrested an employee of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Guwahati Centre on alleged charges of financial scam worth about Rs.26 lakh. On Monday last the accused, Niranjan, was granted three days remand by CBI Special court. According to Senior CBI Chief, Hiren Nath, huge financial irregularities were reported in this prestigious institution and accordingly the CBI began investigation and detected a scam of Rs.25.65 lakh. The CBI has registered a case No. RC 0172010A0007, against the Director of IGNOU, Guwahati Centre, Dr Vardhini Bhattacharjee and the office assistant, Niranjan. The CBI has also seized all the records and...

UPFA warns against dividing indigenous people of Assam

United Peoples’ Federation of Assam (UPFA) has warned the State and the political parties to refrain from dividing the indigenous people of Assam by creating differences through their activities and behavior. Addressing the media persons on Thursday last at Guwahati Press Club, the UPFA President, Jebra Ram Muchahary, expressed concern over grilling of militant leaders, show casing of ceasefire and ‘so-called drama’ of mass surrender ceremonies and release of jailed leaders. He said that these exercises would not bring real peace in the state and demanded a meaningful settlement of all issues through process of negotiation fulfilling the genuine political aspirations of...

Anusuchit Jati Mahasabha demands CBI probe in Scheduled Cast department scam

Anusuchit Jati Mahasabha, Assam has alleged high-level corruption in the Directorate of Scheduled Caste, Assam. Addressing the media persons, in Guwahati, the President of the organization, Chandra Kamal Bhagawati said that his organization came to know through Right To Information (RTI) Act 2005 that the funds meant for the development of the scheduled caste and tribes were misused by the directorate officials. Therefore, the Mahasabha has demanded a CBI probe in this matter. He said that for getting some information under the RTI Act his organization filed a petition and the copy of the same was sent to the Chief Minister, Assam, Minister for development of SC/ST department and...

Forget Paresh Baruah factor, let the country’s law prevail

Assam has suffered a lot due to ongoing movement on ‘sovereignty’ by United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), for last three decades. Thousands of innocent people including women, children, aged and media persons, have been killed during this period by the outfit activists and the security forces, due to this conflict. The State has been pushed backward and no development activities could be undertaken by the State government. The funds allotted by the Central Government to the State for development, were ‘misused’ by the State for ‘buying peace’ to the ministers, VIPs and the bureaucrats. Several efforts were done by eminent persons, organizations and...

Of late the Prime Minister thinks right

With increasing insurgency and deteriorating law and order situation in the country, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, seems to have realized that the functioning of his government lacks some vital points, which should have been taken care of long before announcing the welfare schemes meant for the common people of the country. The benefits under almost all the welfare schemes have failed to reach the real beneficiaries, leading to a condition of mistrust over the functioning of the government machineries. Huge funds allotted by the Central Government to the States under developmental schemes ‘dried-up midway’ mysteriously. Bogus utilization certificates were and are...

Hire and fire continues in Assam’s media

Taking advantage of easily available MASS communication degree holders and serious unemployment problems in the state the media houses in Assam have got an opportunity to ‘hire and fire’ the media men, whimsically. The Fourth Estate in Assam is deprived of ‘fair deals’ despite the existing ‘The Working Journalists and other Newspaper Employees (Condition of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955, enforced. Under this Act, the Central Government constituted Wage Board for suggesting salary and perks for journalists and other workers in media. This Act is confined and has its jurisdiction up to print media only. In the year 1985, the Bachhawat Wage...

Now Barak Valley demands separate economic development council

Being disillusioned by top-level corruption and slow pace of development in the Barak Valley, the southern-most part of the Assam state, the people have now raised demands for a separate economic development council for the region. Under the banner of Barak Valley Economic Development Council Demand Committee, the Central committee President, Kishore Kumar Bhattacharjee along with Karimganj unit chief, Jyotirmoy Das, Hailakandi unit chief, Mahibur Rahman Choudhury and Cachar unit chief, Nimai Sarma, submitted a memorandum to Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi in Guwahati during first week of this month demanding construction and improvement of roads under the area and early completion...

BJP detractors at cross-roads!

The BJP detractors, the four Members of Assam Legislative Assembly, who defied the party whip during recent Rajya Sabha elections and cast their votes in favor of the candidates of Congress Party, now seem to have facing a tough time to save their political career. They have around them a bitter atmosphere in their constituencies and their high dreams are shattered. Now they have the only alternative to join the Congress Party, for which they are trying their best. The Assembly elections in Assam next year may put them in difficult situation for various reasons. None of the political parties would like to have such ‘salable items’. It may be mentioned here that four...