Former MP Iswar Prasanna Hazarika passes away, cremated in Delhi

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 13, 2024

Former Lok sabha MP from Tezpur constituency, Iswar Prasanna Hazarika passed away in a private hospital in New Delhi at 9.30 am on Monday following a prolonged illness. 

Hazarika was 87. Hazarika leaves behind his wife, two sons and a daughter.

He was cremated in Lodi Road Crematorium in New Delhi on Monday.

Hazarika was also elected to the Parliament from Tezpur HPC under the Congress party from 1996 to 1998.

In the 1998 election, he was denied a ticket by the Congress due to which he joined the BJ and contested the election but lost to Congress.

Born in North Lakhimpur in 1937. One of the brightest sons of Assam, who secured 1st position in Matric, then followed it by securing first position in Higher Secondary (then PU at Cotton College). He went to BHU for further studies. 

Later he graduated from the Delhi School of Economics. 

In Delhi, he came into contact with the legendary Hem Baruah. Then he cleared his UPSC exams and got selected for IPS. 

His father who was a freedom fighter, didn’t want to see his son donning a police uniform (He had been in prison for 7 long years, so may be had some bad experiences…).

He had to join and train as an IRS in Dehradun. Later in life due to personal reasons, he had to shift to London. He studied law at Lincoln’s and became a Barrister. 

He joined NTPC and was a director there for many years. He was made the chairman and managing director of MMTC, which was then not the giant that it is today. He made MMTC into an excellent PSU. 

He was handpicked by Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister for this post. He was an institution builder and a great visionary. 

At that time Assam was facing acute power problems. The then chief minister Hiteswar Saikia asked him for help. Hazarika joined ASEB as a chairman with cabinet rank and tried his best. Reforms were initiated at his behest. 

He served as a parliamentarian for two and a half years, as he won from the Tezpur Lok sabha seat. 

He was executive vice-chairman, of the Standing Conference on Public Enterprises (SCOPE) and Member of the Executive Board of SCOPE, 1981-89; Director, Boards of NTPC, STC and MMTC of India, 1981-88; Member of the board of Governors, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi, 1987-94; President, Bharat Diamond House Bourse, Bombay, 1988-89; Chairman and Managing Director, MMTC of India, 1988-90; Member, State Planning Board, Assam, 1994-96, chairman, Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB), 1995-96 among others.

A widely travelled professional Hazarika was a member of, the Indian Delegation to the ILO Conference, Geneva, 1982, World Diamond Congress, Antwerp, 1984, Association of State Trading Organization, Belgrade, 1986, International Fertilizer Conference, Budapest, 1989 and New York 1990 and Trade Delegations to DPR Korea, Brazil, Romania, Thailand, USSR, Zimbabwe, etc.

His death is widely mourned across the nation

Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah said: “Hazarika’s death is an irreparable loss to Assam. We are saddened by the passing away of former MP Iswar Prasanna Hazarika. Hazarika made several notable contributions to the political field of Assam. I extend my condolences to the bereaved family members.”

“I also pray the Almight for eternal peace of the departed soul,” Borah added.