Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the work on the proposed Kamakhya Access Corridor will begin only after the IIT, Guwahati gives the clearance.

''Larsen and Toubro has been assigned to carry out the corridor project and the company has submitted the blueprint and the plans to the IITG for clearance'', Sarma told reporters after offering prayers at the Kamakhya Temple atop the Nilachal Hills here.

The IITG will also examine the hydrological and geological concerns raised and work will begin only after clearance is received.

Sarma said that no deadline has been given to IITG in this regard and it may take three to four months or even more.

The chief minister said that construction will not pose any problem as the Public Works department will only improve and widen the road while providing amenities to devotees.

A writ petition, filed by a few priests of the temple, is pending in the Gauhati High Court highlighting concerns that proposed development works will affect the eternal springs, including the one in the 'garbhagriha' (sanctum sanctorum) which is a perennial source of water and is considered as holy by the devotees.

The court has fixed the next date of hearing on July 27.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the Rs 498 crore Kamakhya Access Corridor, under the Prime Minister's Development Initiative in the North East (PM-DevINE), in February this year.

The chief minister along with his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma offered prayers at the famed temple two days after its doors opened following its annual three-day closure during the Ambubachi Mela.

''Every year, we offer prayers on the day the temple doors open but this year due to the unprecedented crowd, I had to defer it by two days. I prayed to the Goddess for the welfare and blessings of all people of the state'', Sarma said.

The temple doors were closed for devotees on June 22 and reopened on June 26 on the occasion of Ambubachi Mela which marks the belief that the annual menstrual cycle of Goddess Kamakhya falls during the period.

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