New bridge over Brahmaputra from Palashbari to Sualkuchi: Sitharaman

Guwahati: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced a 3-km four-lane bridge over the Brahmaputra from Palashbari to Sualkuchi with an estimated cost of Rs 3,094 crore.

“The Centre has approved the construction of a three-km long four-lane bridge over the Brahmaputra in Kamrup district. The bridge will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 3,094 crore” she said while launching the Right To Public Service Web Portal (RTPS) at a function held at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetera here.

The bridge will facilitate direct connectivity to the internationally-renowned silk town of Sualkuchi and the industrial region of Amingaon with Guwahati and the international airport.

The bridge will de-congest the city of Guwahati and increase transport efficiency, thus helping in cutting down travel time for daily commuters from Nalbari and Barpeta travelling to Guwahati, she said.

Sitharaman said the project will also help combat riverbank erosion and bring about improving transportation efficiency towards the economic development of the state.

The minister said initiatives undertaken by the Assam government has given a good push to various infrastructure-related activities. “It is very impressive to see the pace at which developmental projects are moving in the state,” she added.

The Union minister also said there was no bridge over the Brahmaputra in its 160 km bank up to Jogighopa. The Centre is considering the need of the people of the state, even CCPA (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) is working on such projects, she added.

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Elaborating on various measures undertaken for the revival of the country’s economy, the Union Minister said, “We have taken various steps for revival of the economy which is sustainable and will have an immediate and positive impact on the economy.”

Speaking the occasion, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma termed the day “a shining occasion”. He said that launching the web portal would help in meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of minimum government and maximum governance.

“It is a giant leap in taking governance closer to our people as Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has launched Right to Public Services Web Portal www.rtps.assam.gov. This web portal is a way forward towards electronic delivery of ARTPS notified public services to the people,” the CM said.

Stating that though the Right to Public Services Act was launched in 2012, the services could not make much headway because of certain constraints. He, therefore, stated that to make the RTPS more responsive to the service of the people, the government decided to use IT solutions.

The CM said the web portal would prove to be a boon in providing notified citizen-centric service delivery to the people. He added that it will empower the people to apply and avail of public services from the comfort of their home or public facilitation centres.

Organised by the Administrative Reforms, Training, Pension and Public Grievances Department, the launching ceremony was attended among others by State Finance Minister Ajanta Neog, Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, Health and Family Welfare Minister Keshab Mahanta, Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah and several senior government officers.