The old DC bungalow in Guwahati is all set to open its doors to the public in the later half of April as the new Brahmaputra River Heritage Centre, Bahniman.
The British-era building has been renovated at the cost of Rs 9 crore.
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Bahniman is being set up in the restored bungalow by the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) under the guidance and leadership of the Guwahati Development Department(GDD).
CEO of GMDA, M Angamuthu, said almost all the work is completed.
“The old DC bungalow was set up by the British and has witnessed various events in history, spanning years of the struggle for independence and the years after Independence when the bungalow was the official residence of the DC of the district. The bungalow is among one of the integral heritage structures that reflect the history of the city and its adjoining topography,” said Angamuthu.
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The site had been selected by the British with great care, said Angamuthu. Narrating the history of the bungalow, he said numerous sites had been surveyed before the British had chosen the famous Barphukanar tilla on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra, where cannons used in The Battle of Saraighat still lay scattered.
In 2012, the government decided to restore the bungalow which had gone into dereliction and to preserve it by transforming it into a heritage centre.
“The Brahmaputra’s impact is deeply entrenched in the culture, food habits, customs, traditions, dances, rituals, religious beliefs and practices of all communities in Assam. Hence, the underlying theme of the heritage centre of ‘Bahniman’ is the Brahmaputra,” added Angamuthu, reports TOI.
The GMDA has completed all the provisions made under the revised administrative approval of the amount of Rs 9,69,80,000 in January 2018.