Silchar, March 14 Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unveiling of development projects worth Rs 23,552 crore for the Barak Valley in Assam on Saturday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that it was a "historic day" for both the region and the state.
The Prime Minister performed the Bhoomi Pujan for the 167 km Silchar High-Speed Corridor, laid the foundation stone for the Silchar flyover and Patharkhandi Agricultural College as part of the Centre's move to improve connectivity, ease congestion, and strengthen agricultural education in the Barak Valley.
Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said that the Silchar-Guwahati corridor from Mawlyngkhung near Umiam in Meghalaya to Panchgram will reduce the distance between Guwahati and Silchar from 295 km to 252 km and cut travel time from the present 8.5 hours to about 5 hours.
The chief minister said that no one had demanded this road, but after learning that the existing route from Silchar to Guwahati via Haflong often faces disruptions for various reasons, Prime Minister Modi initiated the construction of this new high-speed corridor.
He said that in just one year, Assam has received major projects, including the Silchar-Guwahati corridor involving a financial outlay of Rs 22,864 crore, and the earlier announced tunnel road cum rail project under the Brahmaputra river to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore.
"The state had never received such large projects in the past, and this has become possible due to the Prime Minister," he said.
The government has also planned a corridor from Srirampur to Guwahati with the aim of ensuring seamless travel from Silchar to Siliguri in West Bengal within 10 hours, Sarma said.
The state government has already received environmental clearance for the construction of the greenfield Doloo Airport near here, and work on the airport will begin very soon, he said.
The central government has addressed the long-standing grievances of the people of Barak Valley, who once felt neglected, the chief minister said.
"The government now carries out development initiatives across all regions, including the Barak Valley, the Brahmaputra Valley, and the hill and plain areas, with equal attention," he said.
He said that the construction of the flyover from Trunk Road near Capital Point to Rangirkhari Point on National Highway 306 in Silchar, at Rs 565 crore, will ease the city’s long-standing traffic congestion.
A new medical college has been planned for the Barak Valley, while a super specialty block at Silchar Medical College remains under construction.
The government has also taken steps to establish an agricultural college at Patharkandi in Sribhumi district for Rs 122 crore.
He said that with the inauguration of the Assam Secretariat for the Barak Valley, the pace of development in the region will be further expedited.
"For far too long, a diverse state like Assam concentrated decision-making and development in Guwahati. This has, however, changed and over the last five years, one of my key priorities has been to end this mindset in letter and spirit," he said.
A new secretariat and legislative complex is coming up in Dibrugarh, while a new secretariat in Silchar was inaugurated on Saturday, he said.
"These are not mere buildings but strong statements of intent. Through a series of reforms, we have delegated a lot of executive functions to the district administration and created co-districts, which ends the archaic practice of people travelling to the nearest district headquarters to seek government services," he said.
The mantra of the BJP government is that governance goes to the people, not the other way around, Sarma added.