’Will provide security to NHPC project’

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, February 8: Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today assured that his government will provide security to the NHPC’s Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric project, and said the Centre should implement the project in a manner that addresses the concerns of all stakeholders.

Addressing the first meeting of the governing council of NITI Aayog, Gogoi said that the project be implemented in a manner that addresses the concerns of all stakeholders. “I assure that the State Government is committed to provide necessary security to the project personnel and activities in so far as the State of Assam is concerned,” he said.

He also suggested that the secretaries concerned in Government of India and the heads of Central agencies may be advised to visit the State more frequently so that they may participate in the coordition committee meetings and several issues, which warrant immediate attention, may get resolved expeditiously, which  otherwise remain caught in correspondences.

“While on the issue of infrastructure, we have been advised of some projects from ONGC awaiting environmental clearances and from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways relating to land acquisition etc., we feel that the monitoring mechanism referred above will help us resolve the issues speedily,” Gogoi said.

He further said that to fully develop the economic potential of the Northeastern waterways, there should be a dialogue with neighbouring countries, such as Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar to establish and upgrade the existing protocols for handling all kinds of goods and passenger traffic.

Gogoi also said that the NEIIPP, which has been kept under suspension, should be restored and continued as it would facilitate investment and industrial activity in Assam.

“The Ministry of Water Resources took up a scheme to set up the Brahmaputra Valley River Basin Authority which we have supported. We request that this institutiol mechanism be set up at the earliest,” he said, adding that the NEC and the DoNER be given a larger coorditing and implementing role under the Council of Chief Ministers and the NITI Aayog, for ensuring that the important linkages are completed on priority.

He said that the NITI Aayog should actively seek to develop capacity and required technical and skill expertise in backward and laggard states through a process of hand–holding and funding of educatiol and skill development institutions.

As for the smart cities scheme, Gogoi proposed that Guwahati, Golaghat, Silchar, Jorhat, Tezpur, Tinsukia, Barpeta and Bongaigaon be taken up under the scheme.