CM Sarbananda Sonowal lays foundation stone of Tinsukia railway flyover

DIBRUGARH: Providing a major thrust to railway infrastructure development in the state, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of a railway flyover in Tinsukia on Tuesday.

The 563.4-metre-long railway overbridge, which will be built at a cost of Rs 60.21 crore over LNB Road (Sripuria), is expected to solve the traffic bottleneck of Tinsukia town.

As a part of its railway connectivity improvement, the state government has already begun construction of several railway flyovers in major towns of the state. Apart from Tinsukia, construction work of railway flyovers have already started in Jorhat , Nalbari, Furkating and Barpeta. Similar structures will be soon constructed in Lanka, Chirang, Rangapara, Dibrugarh , Lumding and Kamarbandha.

The chief minister in his speech described Tinsukia as the commercial hub of the northeast and said the government is committed to developing it into one of the model cities in the country. He added that construction of the railway flyover was one step towards that direction.

"Tinsukia, which is the commercial hub of the northeast, has a rich legacy. Since the British period, the town has been playing an important role in augmenting the country's economy. The Centre and state governments have taken several steps to convert Tinsukia into a modern city. Several projects with total costs of around Rs 1,000 crore, including a medical college, are underway in Tinsukia. Being the easternmost district of the state, it will have an important role to play in the successful implementation of the Act East Policy in days ahead," Sonowal said.

The chief minister also wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 69th birthday and thanked him for giving priority to the development of the northeastern region.

"Today being Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, it is a very significant day for the people of the country. The northeastern states hold a very special place in his heart. He has been working tirelessly day and night for the betterment of the country. His Act East Policy has opened up new floodgates of opportunities in the region. The northeast has turned into a new growth hub of the country under the dynamic leadership of Narendra Modi," Sonowal added.

Union minister of state Rameswar Teli, state PWD minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Tinsukia MLA Sanjay Kishan, Margherita MLA Bhaskar Sarmah and DRM of Tinsukia railway division Ashish Sharma were among those present during the function.