Dhubri: The Dhubri district administration on Friday stopped construction activity near the Mora Gadadhar rivulet, citing violations of a “no construction” order issued in 2023, officials and activists said.Mora Gadadhar, located between Dhubri and Gauripur towns, holds cultural significance in the region and was immortalised in a song by Goalpariya folk singer Padmashri Pratima Barua Pandey. The rivulet has also been at the centre of a movement against alleged encroachment and construction.
Rajib Sarma, a Dhubri-based social activist who has led a campaign to protect Mora Gadadhar for the past five years, alleged that the rivulet’s existence is under threat due to “clandestine encroachment” in a wetland area measuring around 3,000 bighas.“This was brought to the notice of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and at his intervention, then district commissioner Dibakar Nath had issued an order to stop all kinds of construction and initiated an inquiry into alleged encroachment of govt land on March 30, 2023. But the probe is yet to be completed,” said Rajib.Dhubri circle officer Ranjumoni Dutta said the administration stopped the ongoing construction at Mora Gadadhar and asked the party involved to produce documents before Dhubri additional commissioner (revenue) Kartik Kalita.Locals have expressed anger over the alleged encroachment and demanded eviction of illegal occupants from the side of the rivulet.An official of the Dhubri divisional water resource department said beyond ecological and environmental importance, the rivulet plays a key role during floods by holding back water from the Brahmaputra.
