Assam, Mizoram gear up for PM Modi’s visit with key projects on agenda

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reviewed preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely two-day visit to the state from September 13, assuring that Assam is ready to extend a grand welcome.

Sarma said he held a series of meetings with stakeholders to oversee arrangements ahead of the visit. The Prime Minister is expected to participate in the birth centenary celebrations of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika and release a commemorative ₹100 coin in honour of the music legend.

On September 14, Modi is likely to travel to Mangaldoi in Darrang district to inaugurate the Guwahati Ring Road, a Brahmaputra bridge connecting Kuruwa and Narengi, and lay the foundation stone of the Mangaldoi Medical College Hospital. He is also expected to dedicate a ₹4,200-crore bio-ethanol plant at Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) in Golaghat district.

Meanwhile, in Mizoram, Home Minister K Sapdanga chaired a high-level review meeting on preparations for Modi’s visit to inaugurate the new Bairabi-Sairang railway line project on September 13.

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Sapdanga said the project will mark a milestone for Mizoram by enhancing its connectivity with the rest of the country. Security measures at Lengpui Airport, Sairang railway station, Thuampui helipad and Aizawl’s Lammual ground, where the main function will be held, have been tightened.

Officials also reviewed traffic management, accommodation, reception protocols, and cultural programmes. Chief Secretary Khilli Ram Meena and senior officers from state departments and Northeast Frontier Railways attended the meeting.

The 51.38-km-long railway line will link Mizoram’s capital Aizawl with Assam’s Silchar, integrating the state into India’s railway map. 

The project features 48 tunnels, 55 major bridges and 87 minor bridges, including Bridge 144, touted to be the tallest pier railway bridge in the country at 104 metres.