NAGAON, Jan 23 - The State Minister for PWD, Finance and Health, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma formally inaugurated the Mahabir Lachit - Chilarai Setu Nirman Abhiyan Scheme under the State PWD here today. The minister laid the foundation stone of two concrete bridges� over the Kolong river near the ADP bridge and the other at the ASTC bus stand under the Abhiyan. Simultaneously he also inaugurated some other work under SOPD scheme for renovations of roads and drainage, costing around Rs 200 cores in Nagaon Municipality as well as in entire Nagaon Sadar constituency.
Dr Sarma also removed the obstacles in the way of opening of the concrete bridge constructed 32 years ago over the Kolong river connecting Nagaon Police Reserve and Nagaon Bhuyanpatty and distributed compensation cheques among 18 residents of the locality for their patta land, who stood as a barricade for construction of the approach road of the bridge.
In the inaugural function held at Nagaon Nehrubali field, the minister said that the concerned Department of the State would construct a total of 1134 concrete bridges under Mahabir Lachit -Chilarai Setu Nirman Abhiyan in the entire State. In his inaugural speech, Dr Sarma said, �We are not on the way of betrayal, rather we have taken the way of progress and development of the State as per our manifesto and we have created a new dimension in the progress and development of the State.
Referring to the protests against the proposed Citizenship Bill at Guwahati�s Latasil playground by the All Assam Students� Union and other organisations, Dr Sarma while criticising the AASU and others said that the BJP wanted to launch a stir - �Ninand� for the all-round development and progress which would protect both the lives as well as existence of the indigenous people of Assam unlike the protest �Brajaninad� of AASU and other organisations.
He even flayed Akhil Gogoi and said that when farmers of other States were busy with work at agricultural fields for production, in Assam, the farmers� bodies as well as its leaders were crowding the roads to launch stirs and protests instead of production in the field. In the function, the Union Railway Minister for State Rajen Gohain, MLAs Rupak Sarma and Dimbeswar Das, DC Jadab Saikia and other departmental dignitaries were present. Dr Sarma in the afternoon inaugurated two units of the Maternity and Child Care in the newly-constructed Nagaon Medical College Hospital at Mohkhuli.
Interestingly, some Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad activists showed black flags to Dr Sarma at the Nagaon-Morigaon bus stand at Hoiborgaon when Dr Sarma was going to attend the function. The Nagaon Police immediately picked up four activists � Dilip Saikia, Satya Bora, Goutam Bora and Pragtyotish Bania. They were subsequently released.
