Assam Minister for Tourism Jayanta Mallabaruah was gheraoed by the locals at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati on Saturday during his visit to the temple for a review meeting ahead of Ambubachi Mela.

The state government is planning to acquire land near the road in the premises of the temple for the construction of corridor from the Kamakhya Temple.

The locals raised opposition against the government’s decision of acquiring land and gheraoed him during his visit to the temple handing over a memorandum, sources said.

On this, the minister assured that the focus will be on the benefit of the people before taking any decision.

Earlier today, chaired a review meeting at the Kamakhya Temple to take stock of the preparations of the forthcoming Ambubachi Mela with the temple authorities and officials of line department.

The Ambubachi Mela will start from June 22 to 26.

It may be mentioned that the Kamakhya temple situated at the Nilachal hills in Guwahati is one of the oldest and most revered centers of Tantric practices, dedicated to Goddess Kamakhya. 

The Assam Government had decided to renovate the temple which will make it look even more stunning. The government created a model for the state-of-the-art 'Maa Kamakhya Corridor'. As per reports, the renovation of the corridor will be on par with Vishwanath Corridor and Mahakal Corridor. It will have a Pravesh Prangan, Maa Chinnamasta Prangan, and Maa Kamakhya Prangan. Prangan is ‘corridor’ in English. Temples will be renovated and enhanced as per the plan. 

A set of pathways will be constructed for devotees. In summer, there will be pathways with covered roofs. Apart from this, a VIP pathway will also be built. At the main entrance, the plantation will cover both sides of the road. In the blueprint, the focus is on space, greenery, and aesthetics of the temples.