Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The Assam Government is planning to develop four new airports in the state to strengthen the regional air grid for civil purposes. An MoU is scheduled to be signed next month between the state government and the Ministry of Civil Aviation for conducting a feasibility study.
Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma stated in a press conference today, “I want to share some good news with you all. The Assam Government will sign an MoU with the Civil Aviation Ministry for a feasibility study for four new airports in Assam at Majuli, Diphu, Umrangso and Manas. If it comes about, Assam will get four new civilian airports in the next five years. The Dolo airport in Cachar is already under process.”
Speaking to reporters in Guwahati today, the CM also announced that aircraft landing operations in the newly opened terminal at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Jan 17, will commence from Feb 22. He also said proposals for developing a few other emergency landing facilities (ELFs) in the state for civilian purposes have been forwarded to the Centre.
The Chief Minister further said that while several infrastructure projects in the state have received sanction from the Union government, approval for the elevated corridor from the LGBI Airport to Jalukbari in Guwahati is still awaited. The project will cost Rs 1,500 crore.
The CM also highlighted major ongoing and upcoming projects like the Guwahati Ring Road and other key corridors.
“ We have received sanction for several projects. The Guwahati Ring Road will also incorporate the Kuruwa-Narengi bridge. The Union government and Assam government will spend Rs 5,729 crore, with land acquisition costs of Rs 7,000 crore. The Union government will spend Rs 6,957 crore for the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor project,” he said.
He further informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Assam in March to lay the foundation stone for the Silchar-Shillong-Guwahati high-speed corridor project.
This proposed high-speed corridor is expected to reduce travel time from Silchar to Guwahati to 4.5-5 hours. “It is the biggest project being implemented by the Union government in Assam, with a total cost of Rs 22,864 crore,” the CM added.
The CM also mentioned a 4-lane road from Baihata Chariali to Tezpur, estimated at Rs 14,000 crore, which is at the final stage of receiving Union government approval.
The Chief Minister further said, “When Advantage Assam 2.0 (Investment & Infrastructure Summit) was held, the Union government had assured us to implement projects worth Rs 80,000 crore. So far, we have been able to get sanctions for projects worth Rs 55,000 crore. In the coming days, we will lay the foundation stones for a few projects. One is the Kamakhya ropeway project (Kamakhya railway station to Kamakhya temple). A tender for this project was floated, and two bids were received. We will lay the foundation of this project during the next visit of the Prime Minister.”
These infrastructure initiatives are expected to significantly improve connectivity and transportation in Assam, strengthening the state’s development and strategic importance.
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