Himanta urges Assamese living outside state to promote Assam’s investment potential

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on October 16 urged people from the state living outside Assam to act as ambassadors and promote its investment potential while inaugurating the newly constructed Assam Bhawan at Ramohalli in Bengaluru.

Describing the facility as more than a government guesthouse, Sarma said it would serve as a meeting place and a “home away from home” for students, patients, government officials and other people from Assam visiting Bengaluru.

“The building is not only a symbol of cooperation between the people of Assam and Karnataka but also represents the state government's commitment to its people,” he said.

Built at a cost of Rs 71.24 crore on a 16,249-square-metre plot, the four-storey Assam Bhawan has seven suites for distinguished guests, 26 mini-suites, 36 double-occupancy rooms and a 26-bed dormitory for students and other visitors, an official statement said.

The facility also includes residential units for state government officials, five conference rooms, a large dining hall, a restaurant, a banquet hall, exhibition facilities, a library, a gymnasium and indoor games facilities.

Sarma said the state government had acquired five acres of land in the Bheemanakuppe Cross area in 2008 for the project. However, it was cancelled in 2016 after the land was found to be classified as agricultural.

In 2018, discussions with the Karnataka government, when Sarma was serving as Assam's public works minister, led to the necessary approvals for changing the land classification. Construction resumed in May 2022 and was completed in three years, he said.

The chief minister thanked the Karnataka government for resolving the issues that had delayed the project and acknowledged the cooperation of local MLA ST Somashekar, who represents the Yeshwanthpur constituency.

The Assam government has been developing Assam Bhawans at key locations across the country to accommodate people travelling from the state for various purposes. Such facilities are currently located in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Shillong, Chennai and Vellore.

Sarma announced that two more Assam Bhawans in Delhi — one in Dwarka and another redeveloped facility on Sardar Patel Marg — would be inaugurated in November and December, respectively. Land has also been acquired for another such building in the national capital.

Construction is underway on a new building in Mumbai to replace the existing facility used by cancer patients, another building at Mumbai Port and a new facility on Russell Street in Kolkata, he said.

The state government has also written to the respective governments seeking land for new Assam Bhawans in Ahmedabad, Gaya and Pune. It has requested the Karnataka government to provide another plot for an integrated cultural project.

Meanwhile, 16 states have proposed setting up their guesthouses in Guwahati, and the Assam government has initiated the process of allotting land for these projects, Sarma said.

He expressed hope that the Bengaluru facility would strengthen ties between the Assamese community in Karnataka and the state government. Assamese residents in Bengaluru would also be able to organise cultural and community programmes at the building, which would have a restaurant serving Assamese cuisine.

Assam minister Keshab Mahanta was also present at the inauguration.