Amid the first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings at the ACA Stadium, Barsapara in Guwahati, the president of All India Professionals Congress (AIPC) and state Congress secretary Gauravv Somani on Wednesday took a sharp dig at Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) for covering the unclean 'Mora Bharalu' River with a blue tarpaulin.

The idea of covering the river has been vehemently criticized by the Netizens on social media platforms.

 Taking to Twitter, state Congress secretary Gauravv Somani said, “Innovative and excellent arrangments by @GMDAGuwahati to enhànce the beauty of Guwahati smart city- the dirty river and drains covered by tarpaulin so that IPL players do not see. That's classic!! @IPL @TheAshokSinghal @himantabiswa  Seems public money too flowing under the tarpaulin (TIRPAL).”

Notably, Mora (dying) Bharalu, is a tributary of the Brahmaputra river. It flows through thickly populated Guwahati before meeting the Brahmaputra.

According to some conservationists, in the last 50 years, the tributary has become akin to a heavily polluted drain, which can also be stated as the root cause of severe artificial flooding in the Guwahati city.