PM Modi an All-weather Friend and Well-wisher of Assam, says CM Dr. Sarma

Guwahati, February 4 : In another great leap forward in the State’s forward march in infrastructure development initiative Sunday, through the virtual mode, ceremonially inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth a total of Rs. 11,600 crores at a ceremony held at the College of Veterinary Science Playground in Guwahati. The Prime Minister inaugurated the four-laning of national highway from Biswanath Chariali to Gohpur built at a cost of Rs. 1,451 crores and the four-laning of national highway from Dolabari to Jamuguri that was built at a projected cost of Rs. 592 crores.

These apart, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stones of the Rs. 498-crore Maa Kamakhya Access Corridor (Divyalok Pariyojana), the Rs. 3,250 crore infrastructure development project of Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, the Rs. 832-crore upgradation of Nehru Sports Stadium project, the construction of Karimganj Medical College to be built at a cost of Rs. 578 crores, the construction of a state-of-the-art Chandrapur Stadium to be built at a cost of Rs. 300 crores, the widening of road connecting Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport to be built at a cost of Rs. 358 crores, the upgradation of 43 roads, including 38 bridges, at a cost of Rs. 3,444 crores and the construction of the Unity Mall at a cost of Rs. 297 crores.

Delivering the welcome speech at the occasion, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, who referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an all-weather friend of the people of Assam, said inauguration and laying of foundation of stones of infrastructure projects worth a total of Rs. 11,600 crores on a single day is unprecedented in Assam’s history. The Chief Minister said owing to the Prime Minister’s goodwill for Assam, peace accords got signed with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and other insurgent groups that were operating in the State. Return of peace across the State has led to return of thousands of youths into the mainstream who are now contributing towards the process of nation-building, the Chief Minister added. He credited the people of Assam for shedding the path of strikes/andolans in the past three years and this has helped the government steer the State towards a new dawn of growth and development, he added.

Chief Minister Dr. Sarma said projects such as the Bogibeel bridge, the 9.15 Km long Bhupen Hazarika Bridge (Dhola-Sadiya Bridge), among other, managed to see the light of the day due to the Prime Minister’s long-term vision for Assam and the rest of the Northeast. Projects such as the bridge over river Brahmaputra connecting river-island Majuli with the mainland, the tunnel under river Brahmaputra connecting Numaligarh with Gohpur, the bridge over river Brahmaputra connecting Suwalkuchi with Palashbari, 17 cancer hospitals across the State, road infrastructure development under Asom Mala, an All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), ring road surrounding Guwahati, railway infrastructure upgradation, conferring the benefits of Orunodoi and Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana, to name a few, couldn’t have been imagined without the goodwill of the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister further stated.

The Chief Minister exuded confidence the prime Minister’s relentless efforts and guidance aimed at all-round growth and development of the State shall help transform Assam into one of the foremost States on all fronts in the country in days to come.

The Chief Minister urged the people of the State to embrace work-culture and development instead of strikes and andolans. This is important in order to take Assam to the next level of growth and development the State rightly deserves to attain, the Chief Minister stated.

Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of State for Petroleum Rameswar Teli, Minister in Assam Cabinet Atul Bora, Chief Executive of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Tuliram Ronghang, Chief Executive of North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council Debolal Gorlosa, Chief Executive of Bodoland Territorial Region Pramod Boro, President of Assam Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party Bhabesh Kalita, were also present.