HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 24: Health and Family Welfare and Irrigation Minister Ashok Singhal conducted an extensive review of public health and irrigation infrastructure during his visit to Darrang and Udalguri districts on Thursday.
The visit included inspections of multiple healthcare facilities and the Dhansiri Irrigation Scheme, with directions issued to address key infrastructural concerns.
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According to an official statement, the Minister began his tour in Darrang district with a visit to the Sipajhar Community Health Centre.
There, he inspected the pharmacy, laboratory, and maternity ward and interacted with patients to assess the quality of services being provided.
Following the inspection, he held a meeting with hospital staff and district health officials to discuss service improvements.
The Minister then proceeded to the Patharighat Zonal Primary Health Centre, where he appealed to the local public to participate actively in awareness campaigns under the ‘Healthy Assam’ initiative.
He emphasised the importance of preventive healthcare and the role of village-level awareness in disease control.
In the afternoon, Minister Singhal visited the Mangaldai District Civil Hospital.
During his inspection, he directed the Joint Director of Health Services to implement a digital patient registration system via a mobile application to manage the growing patient load more efficiently.
Before the inspection, he held a meeting with the Deputy Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Utpal Barua, who briefed him on the facility’s existing infrastructure challenges.
A tree plantation drive was also carried out within the hospital premises.
Later, the Minister reached the 200-bed District Hospital in Udalguri at 2 pm, where he conducted a detailed inspection of all wards and medical facilities.
He specifically visited the registration room, dialysis unit, and maternity ward.
During his interaction with expectant mothers, he took note of patient feedback and instructed hospital authorities to resolve ongoing issues at the earliest.
Minister Singhal also inspected the Dhansiri Irrigation Scheme at Bhairabkunda in Udalguri district later in the day.
During the visit, he reviewed the safety mechanisms of the existing dam infrastructure and discussed operational concerns with irrigation officials.
He directed the Chief Engineer to prepare an annual report detailing repair and maintenance needs of major schemes under the Irrigation Department.
Additionally, he instructed the District Forest Officer to coordinate with both the Forest and Irrigation Departments to remove large boulders obstructing the Dhansiri River within seven days.
The review meeting was attended by Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) Deputy Chief Executive Member and local MLA Govind Basumatary; Assam Government Fisheries Development Corporation Chairman Gurujyoti Das; All Bodo Students Union President Dwipen Boro; Udalguri District Commissioner Pulak Patgiri; senior officials from the Irrigation Department; and a large gathering of farmers.
