Guwahati

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated several projects in Assam, including a bridge on the Brahmaputra River, an IIM and a data centre for the northeastern region.

The projects, which were rolled out months ahead of Assam assembly elections, aim to boost connectivity, strengthen digital infrastructure, promote higher education and enhance public transport.

Modi reached the state on a day-long visit to inaugurate an emergency landing facility (ELF) at Moran in Dibrugarh district and launch projects worth over Rs 5,500 crore.

The first project the prime minister inaugurated in the state capital was a six-lane bridge over the Brahmaputra River. He launched the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, built at a cost of around Rs 3,030 crore.

The six-lane extradosed Prestressed Concrete (PSC) bridge will connect Guwahati with North Guwahati and is the first extradosed bridge in the Northeast.

After the inauguration, Modi took a walk on the bridge.

Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa were present on the occasion.

The bridge will cut travel time between Guwahati and North Guwahati to just seven minutes. Presently, only the Saraighat Bridge in Jalukbari area connects the two banks of the Brahmaputra in the capital region, with travel time taking around 30 minutes.

Considering the high seismicity of the region, the bridge incorporates base isolation technology using friction pendulum bearings, according to a statement issued by the prime minister's office.

High-performance stay cables were used to ensure durability and long-term structural performance, it added.

"A Bridge Health Monitoring System (BHMS) has also been incorporated for real-time condition monitoring, early damage detection and improved safety and service life of the extradosed bridge," the PMO statement said.

Modi had laid the foundation stone for the bridge on February 9, 2019 and construction started on March 1, 2020 by the then Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

The initial cost of the bridge was Rs 2,608 crore, which escalated to Rs 3,030 crore, and the project was estimated to be completed within four years. The length of the bridge is 7.75 km, including approach roads and flyovers on both sides of the Brahmaputra, while the actual bridge over the river is 1.24 km long.

The project was implemented by the Assam Public Works Department with consultancy services from Systra Engenharia Consultoria Ltd of Brazil. The contractor for the bridge was S P Singla Construction Pvt Ltd and the funding agency was the New Development Bank, with 20 per cent of the total project cost borne by the Assam government.

A senior official of the Assam government told PTI that after its formal opening to the public, the bridge will remain open exclusively for pedestrians till February 28.

Later, in nearby Lachit Ghat, Modi unveiled the Indian Institute of Management Guwahati, inaugurated a high-tech data centre that would cater to the entire Northeast, and flagged off 225 electric buses for four cities, including the Assam capital.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, several state ministers, MPs, MLAs and senior government officials were also present along with the CM and governor during inauguration of these projects.

The PM virtually inaugurated the temporary campus of the IIM Guwahati, which is expected to give a major fillip to higher education and management education in the northeastern region.

The main IIM Guwahati project will entail an expenditure of Rs 555 crore.

The central government had last year approved the establishment of an IIM in Guwahati. This is the second IIM in the Northeast and the 22nd in the country. The first IIM in the region is in Shillong.

"The permanent campus will be developed at Palasbari near Guwahati, while the institute will commence its academic session from a transit campus at Tech City, Bongora. IIM Ahmedabad will monitor the temporary arrangements," the Assam government official said.

The PM also virtually inaugurated the National Data Centre (NDC) for the northeastern region, set up at an investment of Rs 348 crore at Amingaon in Kamrup district of Assam.

The state-of-the-art data centre with a total sanctioned load of 8.5 MW and an average rack capacity of 10 kW per rack will host mission-critical applications of various government departments and also function as a disaster recovery centre for other NDCs.

"This will enable governments in the Northeast to digitally facilitate the delivery of essential citizen-centric services," the PMO said.

Aligned with the vision of Digital India, the NDC for the Northeast has been envisaged as a strategic intervention to strengthen the region's ICT backbone and ensure robust, secure and always-available digital infrastructure.

Modi also flagged off 225 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme.

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Of these, 100 buses are for Guwahati, 50 each for Nagpur and Bhavnagar, and 25 for Chandigarh.

"With the launch of e-bus operations under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme in these four cities, more than 50 lakh citizens are expected to benefit through access to clean, affordable and reliable public transport services, contributing to improved urban mobility and enhanced quality of life," the PMO statement added.