Congress believes Assam is not part of India, says Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

Taking a dig at Congress party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Assam, the state's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that it seems Congress believes Assam is not a part of India.

Sarma said that there is no need for such rally as the country is already united. "If they had launched the march for Swachh Bharat, education or health, employment it would have had some meaning for the public. It seems Congress stand by the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) demand,” he said.

Sarma on Thursday chaired a meeting with senior officials of Public Works (Roads) Department at the Road Research Institute at Fatasil Ambari in Guwahati.


Various projects such as the ongoing construction of the Guwahati-North Guwahati Flyover, Palasbari-Suwalkuchi Bridge and various issues related to the Asom Mala scheme figured prominently in the meeting.

The Chief Minister stated that in association with World Bank, Asian Development Bank, among others, the Public Works (Roads) department of the government of Assam is implementing numerous crucial projects in the State. Notable among these were the ₹2,608-crore Guwahati-North Guwahati Bridge, ₹3,197-crore Palasbari-Suwalkuchi Bridge, to name a few. These apart projects worth several crores were under various stages of implementation under Asom Mala project.

He further stated that recently, the State had been able to get approval for two projects of immense significance from the Centre. The first being the ₹3,800-crore reconstruction of road network of Dima Hasao region that were damaged by the devastating flood earlier this year. The second is the ₹4,000-crore conversion of 11 wooden bridges to concrete bridges.

The Chief Minister further stated that the ongoing construction of bridges in Guwahati have been going on in full swing and are likely to be completed within the stipulated time-frame. He also spoke about the initiatives being taken for the construction of three additional flyovers near Cycle Factory, Fatasil and Down Town Hospital. He said that the aim was to complete majority of the major projects by 2026.