Guwahati: A 139-year-old British-era inspection bungalow in Silghat, Assam, faces an uncertain future. Built in 1887, the site sits in Kaliabor and demands urgent attention as India celebrates its 80th Independence Day. It holds deep ties to the nation's fight for freedom.
Mahatma Gandhi visited the site in August 1921. He arrived by boat from Tezpur across the Brahmaputra river. The leader used the bungalow to plot ways to grow the movement across central Assam. History lingers in these walls. The building also hosted major figures like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha.
The Assam Public Works Department Rural Roads currently owns and manages the property as an inspection bungalow. Locals now claim the building suffers from neglect. They want the government to grant it official heritage status. Residents believe the site provides a link to the past that must survive for future generations. One resident noted that preserving the bungalow would protect a significant chapter of history and provide "future generations with a tangible link to the freedom movement and the leaders who shaped the nation's journey to independence."
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