HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 24: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday laid the foundation stones for several major infrastructure projects in Naharkatia, Dibrugarh district, signalling a substantial public investment worth approximately ₹130 crore across education, sports, transport, administration, and skill development sectors.
According to an official statement, the initiative includes the construction of a Co-District Commissioner’s Office, a road over bridge between Namrup and Naharkatia, new school buildings, a hockey stadium, and a Centre of Excellence within the premises of the local Industrial Training Institute (ITI).
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The Chief Minister also formally handed over the Naharkatia ITI to the Department of Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship.
The Co-District Commissioner’s Office, which was notified on October 5 last year, is to be built on about nine bighas of land at an estimated cost of ₹19.50 crore.
The five-storey building will host various administrative departments and facilities, including a 60-seat conference hall, a 25-seat video conferencing room, a canteen with kitchen, and a crèche.
As part of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund for FY 2024–25, a two-storey building for Konwarigaon High School will be constructed at a cost of ₹7.50 crore.
The facility will include 15 classrooms, a smart classroom, science lab, library, staff rooms, residential quarters for security staff, a kitchen, dining hall, and toilets.
A similar two-storey structure for Naharkatia Higher Secondary School is to be built at a cost of ₹7 crore under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme.
The Naharkatia ITI, built at a cost of ₹10.80 crore, will provide training in trades such as plumbing, welding, electrical work, and computer applications.
The foundation stone was also laid for a TATA Strive Centre of Excellence at the ITI campus.
The centre is being developed under a memorandum of understanding with Tata Technologies Limited.
A new hockey stadium will also come up in Naharkatia at a projected cost of ₹15.32 crore, as per a Cabinet decision on January 30, 2023.
The facility will feature a synthetic hockey field, an 840-seat spectator gallery, a 354-metre boundary wall, and solar power infrastructure.
Another key project is the 564.58-metre Namrup-Naharkatia road over bridge, being constructed jointly by the Assam government and Indian Railways at an estimated cost of ₹68.71 crore.
Once completed, it is expected to significantly ease traffic and improve connectivity in the industrial corridor.
Speaking at the public event, Chief Minister Sarma credited the recent pace of development in Naharkatia to the leadership of local MLA Taranga Gogoi.
He highlighted the region’s elevation to co-district status, improved road connectivity under the Asom Mala scheme, construction of mini stadiums, new ITIs, and ongoing work on the Sukapha Kshetra at Tipam.
Sarma also mentioned that the Centre has approved both the revival of the Namrup fertiliser plant and the construction of a new greenfield unit with a combined investment of ₹11,000 crore.
In addition, the Numaligarh Refinery has committed ₹750 crore for setting up a new industrial facility in the area, with work expected to begin in January.
On the education front, the Chief Minister informed that schools in Sasoni, Joypur, Naharkatia, and Konwarigaon are receiving investments in the range of ₹7–8 crore each.
He also reviewed progress on key bridge projects including the ₹32-crore Sasoni-Duliajan Tikilibarighat bridge, which is scheduled to open in January, and other bridges over the Burhi Dihing in Joypur-Tipam and Hudupora-Duliajan.
The chief minister lauded the achievements of the local women’s hockey team, which has secured district-level championships across all age categories and set a state record by winning school tournaments eight times consecutively.
He expressed hope that the upcoming stadium will help these athletes reach national and international levels.
Reflecting on broader state-level developments, Sarma said that in the last five years, Assam has attracted over ₹5 lakh crore in industrial investment, constructed over 10 km of road daily on average, established more than 24 medical colleges, initiated 13 universities, and launched several large-scale bridge projects across the Brahmaputra.
He also said that in Naharkatia constituency, around 29,000 households have benefitted under the Orunodoi scheme, 30,000 women under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan, and thousands of tea garden workers under the ‘Eti Koli Duti Paat’ programme.
The chief minister concluded by affirming that Dibrugarh is set to become Assam’s second capital under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — a move that, he said, would significantly accelerate the region’s economic and administrative growth.
The event was also attended by Minister of Industries and Commerce Bimal Borah, Minister of Medical Education Prasanta Phukan, Transport Minister Jogen Mohan, local MLA Taranga Gogoi, and MLAs Terash Gowalla and Chakradhar Gogoi, among other dignitaries.
