Assam Govt sanctions Rs 134.91 crore for revamping Jorhat Central Jail

The project revolves around the transformation of the said historic jail into a freedom fighter's memorial with a museum, park and convention centre on 66 acres of land.

The decision was taken by the state government's initiative to hold cabinet meetings in district headquarters outside Guwahati every two months. The cabinet, today, also approved the setting up of Alaboi Ron Samriti Khetra in Kamrup at an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore to honour Lachit Borphukan and the supreme sacrifice of 10,000 Ahom soldiers in the Battle of Alaboi. "The Alaboi Ron Khetra will be built in 12,085.50 sq meter area and the campus development area will be 130.20 bighas. The war memorial will be in the form of a Hengdang (sword) with a height of 150 feet, rising from the midst of a reflective pool, a grand museum with galleries showcasing martial artefacts and relics of the Ahom kingdom apart from terracotta figurines representing Ahom soldiers," said state CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

"The cabinet has also given approval for the construction of a memorial and cultural complex at the site of Lachit Borphukan's Maidam at Jorhat with an estimated cost of Rs 149.83 crore and the build-up area for the project is 9,212 sq metres and the campus development area is 67,816 sq metres," he added. The state cabinet also approved Rs 383.67 crore for the construction of a 2.4 km long bridge over the Subansiri river at Ghunasuti in the Lakhimpur district to connect Lakhimpur town with Bebejia to benefit the people of Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Majuli by shortening the distance between Lakhimpur and Dhakuakhana by about 20 km. It also approved Rs 247.90 crore for an 890-meter long bridge over the Pagladiya river which will provide a direct route for commercial vehicles to Samdrup Jongkhar (Bhutan border) from Pathsala, Barpeta and Bongaigaon. "In line with objectives of Project Sadbhavana, 1,037 applications pending since 1992 will be settled in favour of indigenous landless families on a mission mode and the state cabinet has approved 1,037 application settlements. For the development of Batadrava Than as a cultural and tourist destination, the state cabinet approved Rs 108.33 crore for the second phase, and Rs 185 crore for the construction of a world-class state-of-the-art public auditorium of 5,000 capacity at Khanapara, Guwahati," the Assam Chief Minister said. Other decisions taken by the Minister in state cabinet meetings were-- the approval of Rs 350 crore to Mega Mission Society- Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana (MMS-CMSGY) for 2022-23 to facilitate paddy procurement from the farmers and for the implementation of Amrit Sarovar in every district of Assam, Rs 220 crore approval for improvement and upgrading of roads under Assam Infrastructure Financing Authority (AIFA)(Rs 93.63 crore for Dergaon Chariali to Padumoni road and Rs 126.97 crore for Padumoni to Rangajan road).

Approval for the creation of Gorukhuti Bohumukhi Krishi Prakalpa Samiti, Assam Urban Administrative Service Rules, 2022, Assam Urban Engineering Service Rules, 2022, Assam Urban Financial Service Rules, 2022, implementation of Revamped Distribution Sector Schemes (RDSS) with Rs 8,727 crore as project cost and state share of Rs 263 crore, were also given.

The CM also announced the formation of Assam Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation Ltd to ensure the smooth continuation of the development, financing and implementation of urban infrastructure projects. (ANI)