APCC lodges plaint with EC on promised Central funds to Assam

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Oct 25: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora has smelt a rat in Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari’s announcement to pump in Rs 1 lakh core to Assam to boost to road and inland water communication in the state. Bora said that the announcement is tantamount to violation of poll code of conduct, and as such all the schemes for Assam announced by the Centre should be suspended.

Talking to reporters in the city today, Bora said: “We’ve lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India against Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, Assam Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal and Assam Chief Secretary VK Pipersania. The announcement of the schemes is an attempt not only to influence the voters but also gross misuse of official power and status which violates the provisions of the Constitution of India and Model Code of Conduct of the Election Commission of India.”

The APCC chief said: “The NDA government at the Centre is a government of falsehood. During the last Lok Sabha election, then prime ministerial candidate of the BJP rendra Modi said that all Bangladeshis would have to leave Assam by May 16, 2014, black money stashed in foreign banks would be brought back to the country and each Indian would be given Rs 15 lakh. Has he met all those promises?”

Reacting sharply to State Fince Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s statement recently that ‘since the population of Muslims is rising in Assam, the government is planning to bring some Hindus from Bangladesh’, Bora said: “If an elected government has to bring Hindus from another country to the State to increase Hindu population here, such a government has no right to be in power even for five minutes.”

When asked on the fact that Congress’ Silchar MP Sushmita Dev is supporting the move to accord Indian citizenship to Bangladeshi Hindus, Bora said: “This is her persol comment, not of the party.”

Gadkari, in a discussion with State Chief Minister Sinowal yesterday, announced that the Centre would  increase the Central Roads Fund to Rs 800 crore from earlier sanctioned limit of Rs. 450 crore. He has also asked the State Government to identify 1,200 km of new stretch of road for converting the same into tiol Highways. Gadkari also approved Sivasagar-Desangmukh-Tekeliphuta-Dhakuakha-North Lakhimpur-Majuli-Jorhat road project and another project for relieving traffic congestion on Guwahati by-pass by constructing new 4-lane road from Changsari to Kuruwa along the Northern Bank of Brahmaputra with a 6-lane bridge over Brahmaputra between Kuruwa and rengi which can be connected thereafter to the East West Corridor near Khapara point in Kamrup district. He has also directed the NHIDCL to explore the scope for an altertive alignment and prepare DPR for 4-laning of East West corridor covering 62 km long vulnerable stretch in Dima Hasao District. The Union Minister has also approved projects for development of NH-36, strengthening stretches from Agomoni to Golokganj, Gauripur to Panbari and Bangalipara on Bilasipara by-pass to Tillapara covering 63 km on NH-31, Solmari-Goalpara Road, work of Ratachera-Churaibari section of NH-44 and work for flood prone Samarajan area of NH-52.

The Union Minister also sanctioned Rs. 30 crore for installation of solar LED Light in the Dhola-Sadia bridge which is to be iugurated soon. He has also approved the proposal for construction of flyovers at Basistha Chariali on NH-37, Pathsala on NH-31, Simaluguri on NH-31, BCPL, Dhaligaon on NH-31 and Amolapatthy in Dibrugarh district amounting to Rs. 200 crore each.

Considering the Chief Minister’s request for a comprehensive development of waterways and inland transport system in the state, the Union Minister announced that his Ministry would carry out dredging of Brahmaputra River from Sadia to Dhubri and construct 56 ports and improve termils with modern amenities. Further to effectively use the silt extracted during dredging for road construction and erecting embankments, the Union Ministr agreed to the state Government’s proposal to sign an MoU between the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and Government of Assam for utilizing the same.