Central projects worth Rs 55,000 cr cleared for Assam in one year: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on February 15 said infrastructure projects worth around Rs 55,000 crore have been sanctioned for Assam over the past year, out of the Rs 80,000 crore investment commitment announced during the state’s investment summit in 2025.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, the Chief Minister said the Centre had acted on several proposals following the ‘Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit’ held in February 2025. “The Centre had assured infrastructure projects worth Rs 80,000 crore during the second Advantage Assam investment summit last year, and the state has already received approval for different projects worth Rs 55,000 crore,” he said.

The Kamakhya Ropeway, which will link Kamakhya railway station with the Kamakhya temple, has already moved to the tender stage, he added. “When the PM visits Assam next, he will lay the foundation for it,” Sarma said.

A Rs 1,500 crore elevated corridor from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport to Jalukbari — the main entry point to Guwahati — is likely to receive central approval within days, according to the Chief Minister. The project is expected to ease traffic congestion along one of the city’s busiest stretches.

Clearance for the Rs 14,000 crore four-laning of the national highway from Baihata Chariali to Tezpur is at an advanced stage. “The Rs 14,000-crore project for four-laning of the national highway from Baihata Chariali to Tezpur is at last stages of approval. We hope for it very soon,” he said.

Work on the Kamakhya corridor project, which had faced opposition over environmental concerns, is also likely to resume. The Gauhati High Court had directed IIT Guwahati and the National Institute of Hydrology to examine its ecological impact. “After some people opposed the corridor, the Gauhati High Court asked IIT Guwahati and the National Institute of Hydrology to study if the project would have any ecological impact. They said there would be no impact,” Sarma claimed.

Healthcare infrastructure projects worth Rs 2,200 crore are under way at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, while works amounting to Rs 600 crore are ongoing at Assam Medical College and Hospital.

Sarma also said a highway is being planned from the upcoming semiconductor plant at Jagiroad in Morigaon district to the Bhutan border via Udalguri, including construction of another bridge over the Brahmaputra. “This project is under active consideration of the Centre. These strategic assets will also be used by civilians,” he said.

Separately, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, on Friday approved construction of a 34-km twin-tube road-cum-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra between Gohpur and Numaligarh at a cost of Rs 18,662 crore, a project expected to strengthen strategic and civilian connectivity in Upper Assam.