HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Feb 21: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the new campus of the 10th Assam Police Battalion at Kachutoli in Sonapur, in the presence of Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The project, to be constructed over 174 bighas of land at an estimated cost of more than ₹260 crore, will feature a modern battalion campus with advanced training facilities, residential quarters, healthcare services, sports infrastructure and provisions for a medical college and other key government institutions.
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The land, part of a larger 708-bigha area at Kachutoli reclaimed from encroachment, falls under the Tribal Belt and Block category.
Addressing the gathering, the chief minister said the state government has taken a firm stance against encroachment over the past five years, reclaiming around 1.50 lakh bighas of land across Assam.
Of the reclaimed land, he said about 1.10 lakh bighas belong to wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and reserved forests, while 26,713 bighas are general government (khas) land, 4,449 bighas fall under other categories and 3,643 bighas are village grazing reserve (VGR) and professional grazing reserve (PGR) land.
He added that nearly 40 lakh bighas of land in the state still remain under encroachment and assured that further steps would be taken to clear them.
Sarma said the foundation-laying marked the start of construction on 174 bighas of the reclaimed land, while the remaining area would be utilised for public purposes to prevent future encroachments.
He also highlighted broader development initiatives, including recruitment of around 1.60 lakh youth into government service, establishment of a semiconductor industry at Jagiroad, the ammonia-urea project at Namrup and the construction of the Narengi–Kurua bridge.
The chief minister said improved infrastructure in the state has even enabled emergency aircraft landings on national highways and noted that the Guwahati Ring Road project is progressing near the encroachment-free land at Kachutoli.
He also highlighted the government’s efforts to curb rhino poaching through strict enforcement measures.
Among those present at the ceremony were Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, revenue and disaster management minister Keshab Mahanta, water resources minister Pijush Hazarika, tea tribes and adivasi welfare minister Rupesh Gowala, MP Bijuli Kalita Medhi, MLA Atul Bora, Union home secretary Govind Mohan, chief secretary Ravi Kota, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Kumar Deka and Assam Director General of Police Harmeet Singh, along with other senior officials.
