Rapid development will make Guwahati gateway of SE Asia: Sarbananda Sonowal

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of a Y-shaped flyover to be the longest in the Northeast connecting Maligaon with Kamakhya Gate and Pandu in Guwahati.

The four-lane flyover will start from Maligaon and end by crossing the Kamakhya Temple gate on the Assam Trunk (AT) Road with an extended arm to the road leading to Pandu Ghat. The State PWD (Roads) will construct the flyover at an estimated cost of Rs 420.75 crore under the 'State Owned Priority Development (General) Scheme'. The nearly 3-km-long flyover is targeted to be completed within 36 months from the date of construction, but it may take nearly two years.

The Chief Minister said infrastructure development has been taken up as a top priority by the State government to make Assam one of the best states in the country. He also referred to expansion of Guwahati city in all four sides under State Capital Region Plan and inclusion of Guwahati by the Central Government in first round of Smart City Project as indicators of the vision of both Central and State governments to make Guwahati and Assam new engine of growth for the country, as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On the Prime Minister's 'transformation through transportation' motto, Sonowal said that 15,000-km roads have been built in the State under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) during the present State government as opposed to slow pace of development during the tenure of the previous governments. In all, sectors such as agriculture, business, export, sports, science and technology etc., Assam is achieving rapid development and because of the Central Government's focus on Assam's development, four new bridges over the Brahmaputra would be built, he added.

Saying that the people of Assam had to struggle for basic amenities during the tenure of the Congress government, Sonowal stated that during the present State government's tenure infrastructure development projects are taken up on war footing without giving the people reason to protest for development. He urged the people to maintain peace, unity and harmony for timely completion of all developmental projects in the State so that Assam can become one of the top five states in the country. He also requested the people of Maligaon area to patiently wait for the completion of the flyover as they will have to go through a little hardship during the construction period.

Speaking on the occasion, PWD Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the new flyover at Maligaon area would greatly reduce the traffic congestion and facilitate smooth movement of vehicles for not only Assam, but of the entire Northeast. This flyover will make the journey from Jalukbari to Fancy Bazar a matter 15 minutes. People coming from Changsary, Rangia, Sipajhar and other areas in that side can use this flyover to reach Kamaphya Gate. This is help ease traffic congestion in the city to a great extent, he said.

He said that the flyover at Ganesguri will be completed and open for people in a very short time and the construction of the flyover at Super Market area was also going on at a rapid pace. He also informed about a feasibility study being carried out for a flyover connecting Guwahati Club to Bamunimaidam in the city along with the opening of nine foot overbridges in the city.He highlighted successful completion of the second bridge at Saraighat, Bogibeel, Dhola Sadia Bridge etc., as the mile stones of the present State government's successful tenure. Lots of development schemes have been taken up for Guwahati city and once completed Guwahati would truly become the gateway to South East Asia, he added.

MP Biswajit Daimari, Commissioner and Special Secretary of PWD Rajesh Kemprai along with several other dignitaries were also present at the programme.