Guwahati to Transform into “Gateway to South-East Asia”: CM Dr. Sarma

Heralding a new era of progress in Assam’s march towards growth and development, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday inaugurated the State’s longest flyover, named Nilachal Flyover after the Nilachal Hills near which it stands, measuring a total of 2.63 kilometres and starting from Maligaon Chariali to Kamakhya Gate in Guwahati. Built at a cost of ₹420.75 crore, the State’s longest flyover till date has been completed within a period of mere 35 months by Shree Gautam Construction Co Ltd and Anupam Nirman Pvt Ltd — the two firms that bagged the contract — under the overall oversight of the Public Works (Roads) Department of Government of Assam. M/S Design Associates INC was the Drawing & Design Consultant, M/S Prestress Projects the third-party Quality Control & Monitoring Agency while Professor Dr. Anjan Dutta of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati was entrusted with the task of proof checking of the drawing and design of the four-lane, 16 meter-wide flyover. The foundation of the flyover is built upon a total of 372 numbers of piles, 55 numbers of pile caps and 13 numbers of open foundations.

Addressing a public meeting correlating to the event, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed deep satisfaction over timely completion of construction of the longest-ever flyover in the State. Stating that the need for a flyover at Maligaon — unquestionably one of the busiest traffic routes in the Guwahati — was long felt, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma said the decision to construct a flyover in the area was taken with the aim of facilitating ease of commuting to the residents of North-East India’s most populous and largest city. Stating that construction of a flyover at a high-traffic area like Maligaon came with numerous challenges, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma expressed his gratitude towards the residents of Guwahati for their cooperation all throughout the period of construction. Without support and cooperation from the members of the general public, completion of an infrastructure project of this magnitude within a short period of 35 months may not have been possible, he added. He also appreciated the role of various government departments and the firms involved in its construction for efficiently performing their tasks during the 35 months of the flyover’s construction.

Chief Minister Dr. Sarma also spoke about his dream of constructing a flyover connecting the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport with Maa Kamakhya Temple and added that another bridge over river Brahmaputra shall be built connecting the last point of Pandu with the shakti peeth. Stating that the construction of the new terminal at Guwahati Airport is slated for completion, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma said a 6-lane road connecting Dharapur with Jalukbari along with a flyover at Dharapur Chariali shall be constructed. Moreover, a rotary in front of Deepor Beel shall also be built, he added. Dr. Sarma further added that flyovers over Bharalumukh Railway Crossing, in front of Rajiv Bhawan, in front of Down Town Hospital, along with few other places, shall be built. Chief Minister Dr. Sarma added that the bidding process for construction of the 6-km-long flyover between Reserve Bank office and Bamunimaidam has been completed and construction activities shall commence very soon. Moreover, the under-construction bridge over river Brahmaputra connecting Guwahati with North Guwahati shall be inaugurated by next year’s Durga Puja, he added.

Stating that the focus of the government is not concentrated towards development of public infrastructure in Guwahati alone, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma said numerous flyovers are at various stages of construction across the State. He said on coming 7th of September, a total of 3 flyovers shall be inaugurated at Silchar. Also, new flyovers at Barpeta Road, Jorhat, Dibrugarh are going to be inaugurated very soon, he added. Within the next 4-5 months, construction activities for the bridge connecting Suwalkuchi with Palasbari will commence, he added.

He exuded confidence the upcoming Guwahati-North Guwahati bridge over river Brahmaputra is going to be counted as an architectural wonder and that its design would surpass the beauty of that of the Mumbai Sea Link bridge. A ropeway project connecting Kamakhya Railway Station with Maa Kamakhya Temple shall be operational before 2026 elections, he added. Chief Minister Dr. Sarma said the upcoming “ring road” around Guwahati shall be a reality soon and exuded confidence all projects in Guwahati shall be a reality by 2030.

Guwahati shall not limit itself to being recognised as the “gateway to Northeast” but would gain recognition as the “gateway to Southeast Asia” in days to come, he added. Today’s event was also attended by Assam Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs Ashok Singhal, Member of Parliament Queen Ojha, Members of Legislative Assembly Atul Bora, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Ramendra Narayan Kalita, Chief Executive of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Tuliram Ronghang, Mayor of Guwahati Municipal Corporation Mrigen Sarania, Director General of Police GP Singh, along with a host of other dignitaries.