Sonowal flags off work for Assam's longest flyover from Maligaon to Kamakhya Gate

GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday flagged off the construction of the state’s longest flyover in Guwahati in presence of his cabinet colleague and PWD minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The 3-km (2,992 meters) project from Maligaon to Kamakhya Gate in the western part of the city will cost Rs 420.75 crore. Himanta said the construction will be completed in two years. Another extended wing will be connected from Maligaon Chariali to Pandu, which will be an alternate route, connecting Kamakhya temple via the Brahmaputra banks. Sonowal said the rapid infrastructure development in Guwahati is a part of the state government’s vision to make the city the gateway to entire Southeast Asia. “Infrastructure development has been taken up as a top priority by the state government to make Assam one of the best states in the country,” said Sonowal, who referred to expansion of Guwahati city on all four sides under State Capital Region Plan, and inclusion of Guwahati by the Centre in the first round of the Smart City Project as indicators of the vision of both the Centre and the state to make Guwahati and Assam new engines of growth, as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Referring to Modi’s ‘transformation through transportation’ motto, Sonowal said 15,000 km of roads have been built in the state under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) during the tenure of the present state government. “In all sectors such as agriculture, business, export, sports, science and technology, etc., Assam is achieving rapid development,” he added.
Targeting the previous Congress governments, Sonowal said people of Assam had to struggle for basic amenities during the tenure of Congress. He urged the people to maintain peace, unity and harmony for timely completion of all development projects in the state. He also requested the people of Maligaon to be patient till the completion of the flyover and added that they will face some hardships during the construction work.
PWD minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the new flyover would reduce traffic congestion and facilitate smooth movement of vehicles and people in the busy stretch. He said the project will be converted into eight lanes that would turn the western entry point to the city into a huge corridor.
Himanta also informed about a feasibility study being carried out for a flyover connecting Guwahati Club to Bamunimaidam in the city, along with opening of nine-foot overbridges in the city.
"By Durga Puja, we have decided to open the Ganeshguri flyover for the public. We are moving at a rapid pace so that the flyover at Supermarket, the construction of which started last November, can be completed on the first day of Bohag Bihu,” he added.
Himanta said the next flyover construction planned by the state government in Guwahati will be over the Arya Vidyapeeth College, which will connect upto Nepali Mandir. The proposed flyover, he said, is aimed at facilitating hassle-free communication, as the Assam government is planning a second medical college in Guwahati with TB Hospital in Kalapahar and MMCH as one entity through this busy route.