Will turn Urpad Beel into tourist hub: Min

Guwahati: Urban affairs minister Ashok Singhal visited the Urpad Beel in Goalpara district on Thursday to oversee the steps taken to protect the wetlands. He said the state government will transform the Urpad Beel into a tourist destination and is considering declaring the area as a wildlife sanctuary, if needed.
Spread over 700 hectares of land, the Urpad Beel is located about 12km from Goalpara town and 150km from Guwahati. On the east, it is connected with two more water bodies, Patakata and Matia beels, which make the total area of the wetlands more than 1,000 hectares.
River Jinari originates from the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, flows by the beel to the north and northeast before entering the Brahmaputra.
Singhal said, “I have inspected the ongoing beautification work in the surroundings of the Urpad Beel. Golapara has several wetlands. The state government is committed to reviving and protecting the wetlands as part of our mission to fight climate change.”
Last week, three cabinet ministers, including Singhal, inspected the Deepor Beel, the state’s only Ramsar site. The ministers carried out aerial as well as boat surveys.
Last month, the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority carried out a massive eviction drive on 1,000 bighas of the Silsako Beel in Guwahati. The aim was to clear the beel of encroachments and increase its water-holding capacity during monsoon to prevent urban floods.