Ministers Ashok Singhal, Ajanta Neog, and Sanjay Kishan, alongside Eight MLAs, participate in key discussions
An important meeting was held at Minister Ashok Singhal’s office at Janata Bhawan today to outline the implementation of the ‘Ten Cities Development Concept’ (Doh Shaher, Ek Rupayan) undertaken by the Housing and Urban Affairs Department as a special step towards well-planned and rapid development of urban areas. The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Ajanta Neog, Labour and Employment Minister Sanjay Kishan, and eight MLAs representing various constituencies. These cities include Silchar, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Bangaigaon, Biswanath Chariali, Karimganj, Tinsukia, Golaghat, Jorhat, Tezpur, Sibsagar, and North Lakhimpur. Participants expressed their views on proper urban planning, solid waste management, clean and regular water supply, public infrastructure, traffic management, street lights, and the implementation of green-blue elements such as open spaces, parks, and water bodies in these cities.
Commissioner & Secretary, Housing and Urban Affairs Department, Kavitha Padmanabhan, explained the concept of ‘Doh Shaher, Ek Rupayan’ in detail during a presentation. Emphasis is also placed on manpower rationalization & capacity building, delivering municipal services online or digitally, and strengthening financial infrastructure in specific cities.
The proposed towns are slated for comprehensive improvements across various domains. Under the City Infrastructure Development Fund (CIDF), initiatives include the establishment of a Conference Hall, City Beautification, Open-air Theatre, Pavilions, Traffic Control System, Convention Centre, Chowkh Bazar, Sports Complex, and the enhancement of Water Bodies. The Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (UIDF) from the Government of Assam focuses on the Convention Centre, Town Hall, Park cum Open Space, ISBT, and the beautification of public areas. The Directorate of Municipal Administration will oversee Street Lights and Paver Block Streets. Under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and SoPD, the emphasis is on Water Supply, Rejuvenation of Water Bodies, and the Development of Parks. Similarly, the Swachh Bharat Mission encompasses initiatives like Door-to-Door Collection of Solid Waste, Waste Processing, and Waste Disposal at Dumping grounds, etc.
The meeting was attended by MLAs Hitendra Nath Goswami (Jorhat), Phani Bhushan Chowdhury (Bangaigaon), Prasanta Phukan (Dibrugarh), Pramod Barthakur (Biswanath), Prithviraj Rabha (Tezpur), Rupak Sharma (Nagaon), Manav Deka (Lakhipur), and Dipayan Chakraborty (Silchar), respectively, and the Chairperson or Vice-Chairpersons of Bangaigaon, Biswanath Chariali, Karimganj, Nagaon, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, and North Lakhimpur Municipal Board. The meeting was attended by top officials of the Housing and Urban Affairs Department, Directorate of Municipal Administration, AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), Directorate of Town and Country Planning, etc.