Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The central government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 1,402 crore for four mega projects in the state under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North-East Region (PM-DevINE).
Regarding these projects, the central government has urged the Assam government to award and start the projects or speed up the work process, as the projects are in the initial stages of implementation.
PM-DevINE is a Central Sector scheme fully funded by the Government of India and was announced in the Union Budget 2022–23. The scheme envisages funding infrastructure in the spirit of PM Gati Shakti, supporting social development projects based on the felt needs of the North-East, generating livelihood opportunities for youth and women, and filling the gaps in various sectors. The scheme was approved by the Union Cabinet on October 12, 2022. For the period from 2022–23 to 2025–26, the approved expenditure outlay is Rs. 6,600 crore.
The objective of PM-DevINE entails the overall vision of the Ministry of DoNER, which is “Transforming NER through development in an accelerated yet sustainable manner, affording access to ease of living to all its citizens.”
According to an office memorandum issued by DoNER dated March 7, 2024, the four mega projects sanctioned for Assam are: Transformation of 20 schools as Centre of Excellence in the Kamrup District at a cost of Rs. 132.86 crore; Construction of Medical College (100 admissions) at the Sivasagar district of Assam at a cost of Rs. 499.82 crore; Development of Maa Kamakhya Access Corridor at Guwahati in the Capital region with a cost of Rs. 498.37 crore; and upgradation and widening of existing 2-lane road to 4-lane road connecting Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi (LGB) International Airport at Borjhar near Guwahati, from VIP junction to Dharapur junction at a cost of Rs. 271.45 crore.
The total project cost of upgrading and widening the existing 2-lane road to a 4-lane road connecting LGB International Airport from VIP Junction to Dharapur Junction is Rs. 358.47 crore. The central government will bear a major share of the cost, amounting to Rs. 271.45 crore. The remaining portion of the project cost will have to be borne by the state government. This project has been taken up for the smooth flow of traffic to and from the airport for Guwahati, which is now going through a major expansion spree. With the upgrade of this road, there will be two major roads connecting the airport through the Guwahati-Goalpara national highway.
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