Guwahati, October 11: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday said that his government is committed to strengthen infrastructure in Guwahati to make the city the gateway to South East Asia.

Various infrastructure projects have been taken up as a top priority by the government to make Assam one of the best states in the country, the chief minister said while laying the foundation of a four-lane flyover in Maligaon area of the city. Also Read | Ferrari Car Mows Down Pedestrian in Hyderabad’s Madhapur, Driver Arrested.

Expansion of Guwahati city under State Capital Region Plan and its inclusion by the Centre in the first round of Smart City project are indicators of the vision of both the governments to make the state capital and Assam the new engine of growth for the country, as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said. Also Read | Bihar Shocker: Woman Gangraped, Thrown Into River With Child in Buxar, One Held.

A slew of initiatives such as beautification of Brahmaputra riverfront and Borsola lake, garden at Gandhi Mandap, a memorial for Mahatma Gandhi atop the Sarania Hill, setting up 30 bio-toilets and 20 water ATMs, had already been taken up under the Smart City project.

Referring to Prime Minister Modis transformation through transportation vision, Sonowal said that 15,000 km roads have been built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) by the BJP-led government in comparison to the "slow pace" of development by the previous governments.

People of Assam had to struggle for basic amenities during the tenure of the earlier Congress government but now infrastructure development projects have been taken up on war footing without giving people any scope to protest.

He urged the people to maintain peace, unity and harmony for timely completion of all such projects in the state so that it can become one of the top five states in the country. PWD Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the new flyover at Maligaon area would greatly reduce traffic congestion and facilitate smooth movement of vehicles and people in the busy area.

The proposed four-lane flyover will start from Maligaon and end after crossing the Kamakhya Temple gate at Assam Trunk (AT) Road. It will have an extended arm to the road leading to Pandu Ghat. The Assam PWD (Roads) will construct this flyover at an estimated cost of Rs 420.75 crore under the 'State Owned Priority Development (General) Scheme'.

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