As Sarbananda Sonowal is all set to be sworn in as the first BJP chief minister of Assam on Tuesday, preparations are afoot for his victory trip to his home constituency Majuli island in Brahmaputra river.
'Monikanchan Nowka' (boat of gold and jewels) a ferry boat designated to transport Sonowal over Brahmaputra to his constituency, is being readied for the VVIP by Inland Water Transport (IWT) department, official sources said. The boat has been refurbished by fitting it with air conditioners and a VIP cabin along with an open terrace, said Chitrojen Payeng, the caretaker of 'Manikanchan Nowka'.
The vessel, which belongs to the department of DRDA, will be able to carry two vehicles and have a top floor parlour for sightseeing by the VVIP, Payeng said. The date when the new chief minister will visit Majuli has, however, not been fixed.
The island has the distinction of being Asia's largest river island and is in Assam's Jorhat district and is the centre of neo-Vaishnavite culture initiated by in the 15th-16th century by Srimanta Sankardeva - a towering figure in the cultural and religious history of the state.
Along with the 'Manikanchan Nowka' several other ferry boats from police, health, PWD, DRDA departments besides regular passenger ones have been spruced up at Nimatighat in Jorhat district to carry officials, security personnel, supporters and citizens along with him, they said.