PM launches 5 mega projects in Assam worth INR 3,222 crore

Guwahati, Feb. 22 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday dedicated to the nation INR 3,222 crore five mega gas and oil based and education projects in Assam.

While speaking at an impressive public gathering at Silapathar in eastern Assam’s Dhemaji district, the prime minister said that the Centre and Assam government are working together for the all-round development of the state and maximum welfare of the people. Asserting the need to continue with the double engine of Centre and state government to expedite development in Assam, he said: “The Assam government is taking forward all sectors and would soon implement the national education policy whereby the local people will be able to get medical and engineering education in the local language.”

Modi said: “Those who ruled for decades since Independence believed Dispur was too distant from Delhi. Dilli ab door nahi, aapke darwaaze par hai (Delhi is not faraway now, it stands at your doorstep. The earlier governments adopted a step-motherly approach to Assam’s north bank (of Brahmaputra River) and neglected connectivity, health, education, infrastructure and industry.”

While addressing the gathering Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said that INR 95,000 crore will be invested in Assam’s gas and oil sector for the projects initiated by the Prime Minister on Monday.

Pradhan said that the earlier Congress-led UPA government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh despite him representing Assam in the Parliament did nothing to utilise the gas and oil resources for the benefit of Assam and the country.

The Prime Minister dedicated the nation the INDMAX Unit at Indian Oil’s Bongaigaon Refinery, Oil India Limited’s Secondary Tank Farm at Madhuban in Dibrugarh district and a Gas Compressor Station at Hebeda Village (Makum) in Tinsukia district.

The INDMAX unit at Indian Oil’s Bongaigaon Refinery leverages the technology developed indigenously by Indian Oil-R & D to produce a higher LPG and high-Octane Gasoline yield from heavy feed stocks. The unit will increase the Refinery’s crude processing capacity from 2.35 MMTPA (million metric tonnes per annum) to 2.7 MMTPA.

Its commissioning will also significantly enhance LPG production from 50 TMT (thousand metric tonnes) to 257 TMT and the Motor Spirit (Petrol) production from 210 TMT to 533 TMT.

Oil India Limited’s Secondary Tank Farm has been built for safe storage of about 40,000 Kilo Litres of Crude Oil, and the separation of formation water from Wet Crude Oil. The INR 490 crore project will also have a Dehydration unit with an operating capacity of 10,000 Kilo Litres per day.

The Gas Compressor Station at Makum in Tinsukia district will increase the nation’s crude oil production capacity by nearly 16500 Metric Tonne per annum. Built at INR 132 Crore, the station comprises three low-pressure booster compressors and three high-pressure lifter compressors.

“These projects would usher in an era of energy security and prosperity and open bright avenues of opportunity for local youth. They are in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of “Purvodaya” to drive Eastern India’s socio-economic growth,” an official release said.

PM Modi also inaugurated the Dhemaji Engineering College and laid the foundation stone for Sualkuchi Engineering College in Dhemaji district.

The Dhemaji Engineering College has been built on 276 bighas of land, at the cost of about INR 45 Crore. It is the seventh Government Engineering College in the state and will offer B.Tech courses in Civil, Mechanical and Computer Science. The Sualkuchi Engineering College, whose foundation stone was laid, will be built on 116 bighas of land at a cost of about INR 55 crore.

Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and state Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also spoke in the gatherings.

India’s growth engine to be powered by Assam, NE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s growth engine would be further boosted with the development of Assam and the northeastern region.

Addressing a massive public gathering at Silapathar in eastern Assam’s Dhemaji district, the Prime Minister said that the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ vision would be further strengthened with the ‘Aatmanirbhar Assam’ and northeast.

“To achieve the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision continuous endeavours are going on. Whenever I visit Assam, I get the fresh impetus and inspirations to do more for the northeastern region,” Modi said after inaugurating and laying foundation stones of five mega projects worth INR 3,000 crore in gas, oil and education sectors.

“We are correcting the faults of the previous governments. If the policy is accurate, destiny would be perfect. Connectivity, health, education and infrastructure developments were ignored by the previous governments.”

The Prime Minister said that the government is trying to give engineering and medical education in local languages so that its benefit could be obtained by the poor students and learners residing in the far-flung areas. Referring to the song of great singer and composer Bhupen Hazarika and rich Assamese cinema, Modi said that Assam’s all-round development would make the development of India easier.

“The entire world is now respectful of India’s engineering and technological milestones,” he pointed out. The Prime Minister said that as the government is working with the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’, LPG and electricity connections are being given to 100 per cent households in Assam and other parts of India as these were earlier available to less than 40 to 50 per cent familes.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in his speech said that Prime Minister Modi with his great vision for the all-round development of the region has won the hearts of every person of the eight northeastern states.

Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi and state Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also spoke in the gatherings. Monday’s visit and public address is the third in poll-bound Assam by the Prime Minister within 30 days since his visit to Sivasagar on January 23 and at Dhekiajuli in Assam’s Sonitpur district on February 7.