HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 12: In a major step toward bolstering healthcare and infrastructure development in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday visited the proposed site for a medical college and hospital at Punia in Darrang district.
The Chief Minister’s visit comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed trip to the state on September 8, during which projects worth nearly Rs 8,000 crore are expected to be formally launched from the same location.
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Addressing the media after inspecting the site, Sarma said the Prime Minister is likely to lay the foundation stone for the new medical college in Darrang during his visit.
In addition to the healthcare project, the Prime Minister is expected to inaugurate the Narengi–Kurua bridge over the Brahmaputra and the ambitious Guwahati Ring Road project from the Punia venue.
All three initiatives form part of a broader package of development works lined up for the region.
The chief minister underscored the significance of the new medical college for Darrang, noting that the district, formerly a subdivision of Sonitpur, has long been without such vital infrastructure.
With Darrang now functioning as a full-fledged district, it is poised to receive major institutional investments similar to those in Sonitpur, he said.
Sarma also announced that the government is considering setting up another medical college in neighbouring Udalguri district.
He urged the local community to extend full cooperation to ensure smooth execution of the upcoming projects and stressed the need for timely completion.
In a nod to environmental concerns, he directed officials to avoid cutting down large trees at the proposed site, recommending instead that they be relocated and replanted.
Providing a tentative outline of the Prime Minister’s schedule, Sarma said Modi would arrive in Mangaldoi on the afternoon of September 8, following a programme in Numaligarh.
He is also scheduled to participate in the birth centenary celebrations of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika on the same day.
The chief minister was accompanied during the visit by Member of Parliament and Assam BJP President Dilip Saikia, MLAs Paramananda Rajbongshi, Diganta Kalita, and Basanta Das, Chairman of the Assam Fisheries Development Corporation Gurujyoti Das, the District Commissioner, and other senior officials.
