New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched ‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’ in Assam and laid the foundation stone of two bridges. On this occasion, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Union Minister of Law and Justice, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology; The Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the Chief Minister of Assam and Meghalaya were present.
On the occasion of the launch of ‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’, he inaugurated the Ro-Pax ship service between Nemati-Majuli Island, North Guwahati-South Guwahati and Dhubri-Hatsingimari. He laid the foundation of the Inland Water Transport (IWT) Terminal at Jogighopa and various tourist jetties on the Brahmaputra River and introduced digital solutions for Ease of Doing-Business.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister congratulated the Mising community for the Ali-Aye-Ligang festival associated with agriculture, which was celebrated yesterday. He said that over the years, this holy river was synonymous with sociality and connectivity. He said that not much work related to connectivity on Brahmaputra has been done before. He said that for this reason connectivity within Assam and in other areas of the Northeast has always been a major challenge. He said that now projects have been expedited to reduce the geographical and cultural distances of the entire region. He said that the physical and cultural integrity of the entire northeast including Assam has strengthened in recent years.
The Prime Minister said that several bridges like Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Setu, Bogibeel Bridge, Saraighat are making the life of Assam easier today. He said that this strengthens the security of the country and gives great convenience to our soldiers. The campaign to connect Assam and the North-East has been carried forward today. The Prime Minister praised the work of the Chief Minister of Assam and his government for achieving this feat. Majuli has got Assam’s first helipad and is getting the option of Tejav safe road as long standing demand is being met with Bhoomi Pujan of 8 km long bridge connecting Kalibari to Jorhat. The Prime Minister said, “It is going to be a bridge of convenience and possibilities”.
Similarly, the 19 km long bridge from Dhubri to Phulbari in Meghalaya will improve connectivity in Barak Valley and will reduce the distance between Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Assam. The Prime Minister said that today, the distance between Meghalaya and Assam is about 250 km by road; It has reduced to just 19-20 km. Will be left.
Talking about the ‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’ program, Shri Modi said that this would strengthen the Brahmaputra’s water-to-water connectivity through port related development. With the introduction of three Ro-Pax services today, Assam has become the leading state to connect Ro-Pax services on this scale. This will significantly improve Assam’s connectivity with the Northeast with four tourist jets.
The Prime Minister said that neglect of connectivity over the years has deprived the state of its prosperity. The Prime Minister said that the infrastructure has deteriorated and the waterways are almost exhausted, which is the reason for the uncertainty. Shri Modi said that reform started in the tenure of former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In recent years, steps were taken to reestablish multi-model connectivity in Assam. Efforts are being made to make Assam and the North-East the center of our cultural and trade relations with other East Asian countries.
The Prime Minister said that work on inland waterways will have a major impact here. He said that recently an agreement has been reached to improve water connectivity with Bangladesh. Work is underway on the India-Bangladesh protocol route across the Hooghly River to connect the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers. By connecting the Northeast with the rest of India, the region’s dependence on the narrow connectivity part will be reduced. He said the Jogighopa IWT terminal would strengthen an alternate route connecting Assam to Haldia port and Kolkata via a waterway. At this terminal, the cargo of Bhutan and Bangladesh and the cargo at Jogighopa Multi-Model Logistic Park will facilitate movement to various locations on the Brahmaputra River.
The Prime Minister said that new routes have been made for the convenience of the common man and for the development of the region. He said that the Ro-Pax service between Majuli and Nemati is a route which will reduce the distance from about 425 km to just 12 km. Two ships ply on this route, carrying around 1600 passengers and dozens of vehicles at a time. He said that a similar facility started in Guwahati will reduce the distance between North and South Guwahati from 40 kilometers to 3 kilometers.
The Prime Minister said that to provide accurate information to users, e-portals are being launched today. The CAR-D portal will help match real-time information on all cargo and cruise traffic data of the national waterway. It will also provide information related to waterway infrastructure. He said that the GIS-based India Map portal will help those who want to come here for business.
The Prime Minister said that Internet connectivity is equally important with highway connectivity of waterways, railways, Assam and North East and it is being continuously worked on. He announced that with an investment of hundreds of crores of rupees, North East is going to be the first data center in Guwahati. This data center will serve as a data center for startups in 8 states and IT service based industries, BPO ecosystem and Northeast including Northeast and will be strengthened through e-governance.
The Prime Minister said that the government is working with the concept of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and the trust of everyone in the country, including the Northeast. He also discussed the cultural depth and richness of Majuli region, Assamese culture and local biodiversity. The Prime Minister listed steps such as establishment of cultural university, status of biodiversity heritage site to Majuli, heritage circuit at Tezpur-Majuli-Sivasagar, Namami Brahmaputra, Namami Barak. The Prime Minister said that these steps are further enriching the identity of Assam. He also hoped that the opening of today’s connectivity would open up new avenues of tourism and Assam could become a major hub of cruise tourism. He said, ‘We have to work collectively to make Assam, Northeast a strong pillar of self-reliant India.