PM launches projects worth Rs 18,530 cr

Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched projects worth Rs 18,530 crore in Assam, including the world’s first bio-ethanol plant using bamboo as raw material, along with major health and infrastructure projects at programmes in Darrang and Golaghat districts.

In Darrang district’s Mangaldoi town, the PM laid foundation stones for three major projects with an investment of Rs 6,300 crore. These include the Darrang Medical College and Hospital, along with a GNM school and nursing college at a cost of Rs 570 crore, the Guwahati Ring Road (Rs 4,530 crore) and the Kuruwa-Narengi bridge over Brahmaputra (Rs 1,200 crore), officials said.

The PM, after inaugurating the projects, said that his government is working with the vision of making Assam a growth engine of India’s development.

“Both the Union and state governments are developing Assam as one of the most connected states and as a leading healthcare hub. These projects will further strengthen our resolve,” he said.

The Darrang Medical College will be the 24th such facility in the state and will admit 100 students each year into the MBBS programme.

The 121.43 km Guwahati Ring Road, divided into three sections, will decongest the capital city and ease the movement of vehicles, including trucks from West Bengal, Bihar, and other states.

The 55 km-long first section will stretch from Baihata Chariali to Sonapur via Kuruwa and Chandrapur.

It will include a four-lane road along with several six-lane bridges, including the 2.9 km Kuruwa-Narengi bridge over the Brahmaputra, as well as five other bridges, three flyovers, and three road over-bridges.

The second section will see the upgrade of the existing four-lane road into a six-lane stretch from Jayanagar underpass on NH-27 to Jorabat and will feature two flyovers.

The third section will upgrade the four and six-lane road of National Highway 27 from Baihata to Sonapur.

In Golaghat district, the PM inaugurated a Rs 5,000-crore bamboo-based ethanol plant and laid the foundation stone for the Rs 7,230-crore Petro Fluidised Catalytic Cracker Unit at the Numaligarh Refinery.

The “world’s first, second-generation” bioethanol plant is a ‘zero-waste’ facility, which will utilise all parts of the bamboo plant, and is expected to give a Rs 200-crore boost to the rural economy in the state, officials said.

The project will produce around 49,000 tons of ethanol annually and also generate other valuable products such as furfural, acetic acid, carbon dioxide, and bio-coal.

Ethanol is a major alternative source of energy, and the newly inaugurated bioethanol refinery will significantly benefit farmers and tribals, the PM said.

This will expedite Assam’s endeavour of becoming self-reliant and one of the most developed states of the country, he added.

The cracker unit with a capacity of 360 KTPA will boost domestic

petrochemical production, reduce dependence on imports, and benefit the economy, the PM said.

The project will use world-class technology and is scheduled to start production in 2028.