Guwahati, 20th October: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of Multi-Model Logistics Park under Bharatmala Project at Jogighopa in Assam, Bongaigaon district through video conference.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal along with Union Minister for Food Processing Rameswar Teli, Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary and Food, Civil Supplies and Consumers Affairs Minister Phani Bhushan Choudhury were present at the construction site of the project on the occasion.

The Assam government has transferred 200 Acres of land belonging to Ashok Paper Mill for the project.

Designed as a state of art facility, MMLP Jogighopa is envisioned to drive economic growth and trade competitiveness of the country through a truly integrated, seamless, efficient, reliable and cost-effective logistics network.

It is aimed to improve the logistics efficiency and facilitate the Domestic and Export-Import trade in the region.

Speaking through video conference from New Delhi, Union Minister Gadkari said that the project once completed would generate around 20 lakh direct and indirect employment. He informed that the project to be implemented with a cost of Rs 1171 crore in two phases is proposed to be completed within 2023.

He appreciated the role of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for realization of the project and urged him to review the implementation of NHIDCL every month for maintaining quality and timely completion of the project.

He said that his ministry has allocated around Rs 80,000 crore for roads infrastructure development in Assam and informed that construction of Rs 5000 crore Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge would start in next 2-3 months. He further said that the road from Guwahati to Jogighopa would also be upgraded to four-lane.

Moreover, Gadkari said that his ministry took steps for dredging of Brahmaputra and Barak rivers to boost trade from the region.

The Union Minister also informed that the proposal for construction of Brahmaputra Express Highway is still under consideration and the bridge connecting Nimatighat in Jorhat with Majuli would be finalized shortly.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in his speech said that the people of lower Assam always felt neglected as during all these years after independence no significant industrial development took place in the region.

However with the coming up of the Multi-Model Logistics Park, people of the region find new hope and he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for the initiative.

Sonowal said that Prime Minister Modi after taking charge of the country gave utmost priority for development of northeast and took up many schemes for realizing the inherent potential of the region. He said that the visit of Union Ministers every fortnight as per direction of the PM helps in quality implementation and timely completion of development schemes.

He said that inspired by the Prime Minister Modi, Assam government-organized global investors summit in 2018 and as a result investment worth Rs 79000 crore was received.

He informed that the central government has taken steps for augmentation of production capacity of BRPL from 2.5 MMT to 5 MMT and NRL from 3 MMT to 9 MMT, besides setting up a biofuel plant at Numaligarh. The central government invested around 42000 crore alone in the Petroleum sector in Assam, he added.

Sonowal said that the latest step for setting up the Multi-Model Logistics Park would revive trade links of erstwhile river port of Dhubri connecting it upto Chittagong port of Bangladesh and significantly boost domestic and international trade. He said that the project offers a golden opportunity for the people of lower Assam for economic development.

He said that his government is working for equal development of all sections of people of the state. As part of its efforts for development of lower Assam, medical colleges at Kokrajhar and Dhubri, engineering college at Bongaigaon, ayurvedic college at Goalpara and government college at South Salmara are being taken up. Sonowal also urged the people for taking collective responsibility to ensure hasslefree implementation of the logistics park.

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari for Multi-Model Logistics Park in Assam, Jogighopa, Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said, ‘Historically Assam used to have a very vibrant trade activity with the neighbouring countries through roadways, railways and riverine waterways. But following independence and partition, these links got disrupted. However, the Act East Policy has potentially transposed Assam from the periphery of the country to being the centre-stage of India’s growing relations with ASEAN neighbours. Now protocol agreement has been signed with Bangladesh and vessels from North East can travel to Chittagong and Mongla ports of Bangladesh and our link with the sea has been reconnected.’

‘This Logistics Park will be integrated with roadways, railways and waterways. MMLP, Jogighopa will be a game-changer for the economy of Assam and will bring about a sea-change in the overall development of the state,’ added Minister Patowary. The Industry Minister further appealed the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to sanction a similar MMLP at Silchar to uniformly develop both the Barak and Brahmaputra valleys.

Union Minister of State for DONER Dr Jitendra Singh and Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways General VK Singh spoke on the occasion through video conference, Union Minister of State for Food Processing Rameswar Teli and Minister F&CS Phani Bhushan Choudhury delivered speech in the programme of Multi-Model Logistics Park in Assam

On the occasion, an MoU was signed between NHIDCL and Ashok Paper Mill.

While Joint Secretary Suman Prasad Singh delivered the welcome address, the programme was attended by MLAs Ananta Malo, Ashwini Ray Sarkar, Dipak Rabha, Ashok Singhi, Rituparna Rabha and senior Government officers among others.

Guwahati, 20th October: Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam will be reopened the national park for tourists from October 21.

The National Park was closed for tourists since March due to COVID-19 pandemic and flood.

In an order issued by the Kaziranga National Park authorities stated that – “Jeep Safari in Kaziranga Range, Kohora will be open up to ‘Vaishamari’ and in Bagori, the Jeep Safari will be open up to ‘Donga watchtower’ and ‘Bimoli Tiniali’ until further orders. The date for opening of Eastern Range, Agoratoli, Burapahar Range, Ghorakati and the elephant ride in Kaziranga National Park will be notified in due course of time.”

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, state Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya will be present at the Kaziranga National park opening ceremony on October 21 at 11 am.

The park authorities also said that the tourists will have to follow COVID-19 protocols to visit the park.

Guwahati, 20th October: In a move to grant building permission instantly, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched Mukhya Mantrir Sohoj Griha Nirman Achoni at a programme held in Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati on Monday.

Under the scheme which is introduced by Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority and Guwahati Municipal Corporation, residents of Guwahati Metropolitan area can avail instant construction permit for residential building up to second floor and up to a plot area of two and half Katha online.

In the same programme Chief Minister Sonowal also unveiled a portal for granting no objection certificate for selling plot of land in the jurisdiction of GMDA. He also handed over an instant permission for constructing house and on objection certificate for selling a plot of land under both the schemes to Gautam Barman and Atul Basumatary respectively.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sonowal said that with the inauguration of the scheme, Guwahati has become the first city in the entire nation to have been in a position to fulfil the long felt dream of the people of the city. Doing away with all the past complexities that the city dwellers had been facing, the new scheme envisaged to allot construction permission to anybody with land possession as minimal as even four lechas (576 sq ft.). Stating the geographical position and natural beauty of the city, the present State government has been taking steps to make Guwahati one of the most beautiful cities in the entire South-East Asian nations, Sonowal added.

He, therefore, urged upon the city dwellers to come out and extend all cooperation to the government in this regard. He also emphasised on segregating garbages at the source if Guwahati is to become a clean city and green city.

Chief Minister Sonowal also said that immediately after becoming the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi put tremendous importance to the North-Eastern region and associated the development of the region with national programme.

He also said that the Look East Policy announced by Dr Manmohan Singh only remained a lip service and in reality no development took place in the region under the policy. However, Prime Minister Modi changing the Centre’s policy towards North-East started Act East Policy to build and promote a new development narrative surrounding North East to cash in a verdant market created by 10 ASEAN and three BBN countries. In this context, Sonowal referred to programmes of the Centre for Airways, Highways, Waterways and Internet ways for the development of Northeast.

Considering the burgeoning population of Guwahati, the State government announced State Capital Region to increase the boundary and parameters of Guwahati. Sonowal also requested the real estate developers and architects to promote and popularise Mukhya Mantrir Sohoj Griha Nirman Achoni for the beneficiaries.

He also said that under ‘ease of doing business’ government would soon constitute a high-powered committee to implement the announcements made so far by the government.

Guwahati Development Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya while speaking on the occasion said the no government in the past has had used the digital medium for the welfare of the citizens. However, the present state government after coming to power has been increasingly using the digital medium for the benefits of the people. He, also thanked Chief Minister Sonowal for conceiving and announcing Mukhya Mantrir Sohoj Griha Nirman Achoni for the convenience of the city dwellers in Guwahati.

Chairman Guwahati Metropolitan Development authority who is also the MLA of Dhekiajuli Ashok Singhal, Additional Chief Secretary GDD Manindar Singh, President Assam Real Estate Infrastructure Development Association Pranab Sharma General Secretary Association of Architects, Assam Amitabh Sharma also spoke on the occasion.

It may be noted that Mukhya Mantri Sohoj Griha Nirman Achoni is an offshoot of a series of steps that the government has been taking under the leadership of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal including modification of Guwahati Building Construction (Regulation) Bylaws. Under the scheme, an applicant can log on to www.mmsgna.in and submit necessary details including drawing and fees to get an instantaneous building permission. Similarly, onwww.gmdalsp.in one can get non-objection certificate for selling of land. in both the schemes the applicants will get the status of their claims through SMS and e-mail.

Guwahati, 20th October: Reacting to the NSCN (IM)’s allegation against the security forces, the Assam Rifles stated that, the group has falsely accused the security forces of brutality and high handedness towards Naga people in a statement wherein it stated that “Cease-Fire Monitoring Group (CFMG) should look into the matter with all seriousness to halt the arrest and raiding spree of the Assam Rifles”.

Kohima based Defence PRO said in a press statement that, the statement that action against NSCN(IM) is towards Naga people cannot be farther from the truth.

“Security forces have never apprehended any innocent civilians and have only acted against cadres of insurgent groups, indulging in activities in contravention of Ceasefire ground rules. As regards the operations on 09 Oct 2020, it is clarified that a joint operation was carried out with the Police, based on complaints from the public regarding the presence of armed military wing cadres of NSCN (IM) in Signal Angami Area of Dimapur, Nagaland in violation of the Ceasefire ground rules. Therefore, it was in the interest of public safety to verify the inputs and the Security Forces completed the operation and obtained a No-Objection – Certificate,” said in the press statement.

“In the incident of 12 Oct 2020 in Maram, Senapati District, Manipur the local battalion prevented a group of nine NSCN(IM) cadres who were carrying forceful illegal taxation from the transporters near Don Bosco School, however, SS 2nd Lt Kennedy attempted to hit one of AR soldiers who was performing his duties under sovereign protection of AFSPA 1958 and jumped into the bushes, thereby preventing security forces from carrying out their bonafide military duties within statutory powers,” the Defence PRO said in his statement.

The Kohima based Defence PRO said that – “Despite the same, the troops exercised maximum restraint and prevented the situation from escalating by apprehending the individual and handing over to Senapati Police Station. The local CSOs even gave an undertaking that the NSCN(IM) cadre was in a medically fit state and the cadre himself too promised the Security Forces that such illegal taxation would not be carried out in future.”

“As regards the incident on 14 Oct 2020 at 17th Mile, Jairampur, Changlang District, Arunachal Pradesh, military wing cadres of the NSCN (IM) were prevented from carrying out forceful illegal taxation, which was prevented by the Security Forces by conduct of their bonafide duty. Above mentioned operations were carried out by Security Forces under statutory obligation to prevent any such violation and maintaining peace in the area,” said in the statement.

Guwahati, 19th October: At least four people were killed in a road accident in Assam’s North Lakhimpur district on Monday.

One more person was injured in the accident that took place at Dalhat Tiniali area near Naoboicha on National Highway 15 in North Lakhimpur district.

According to the reports, a speedy Innova car bearing registration number AS-01BR-0078 that was coming from Guwahati side hit a roadside tree and the driver of the vehicle died on spot.

Other four occupants of the vehicle who received severe injuries were rushed to hospital and three among them succumbed to their injuries.

The deceased persons were identified as Ratna Mahanta, Mitali Das Boro, Utpal Boro and Rinku Moran.

The injured person is now treated at Lakhimpur civil hospital in serious condition.