NEW DELHI, Jan 16 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday said that the Centre and the State have decided to seal the Indo-Bangladesh border by December.
The Chief Minister made the announcement here today after meeting Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh at his Akbar Road residence. Sonowal had earlier in the day called on the Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley and the Commerce and Industry Minister, Suresh Prabhu.
�Our target is to seal the Indo-Bangladesh border by December this year. We jointly discussed the plan today and in this connection, people of both the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys have extended full cooperation,� he said. Briefing newsmen, Sonowal said that the Assam government has in close coordination with the government of India worked on updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and sealing of the India-Bangladesh border. �Both the governments are working sincerely to seal the border,� he said.
The Home Minister has extended all the necessary assistance in this regard. In the coming days, the Indo-Bhutan border development will also be taken up. Top priority would be accorded to connectivity and development of remote areas besides setting up a cultural complex. The Centre will accord priority to this project, as well, Sonowal disclosed.
In the coming days, as per the direction of the Supreme Court, the NRC work has been undertaken. Both the governments have jointly extended all assistance and the people of Assam have also cooperated, he said.
�The first phase was completed peacefully and to ensure that the second phase is also undertaken in a similar manner, we seek cooperation from the people of the state. We are confident that the people of Assam would extend the same cooperation in publication of the second part, as they had done in publication of the first part draft NRC,� he said.
�I met the Commerce and Industry Minister, Suresh Prabhu and Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley today. We want to accord top priority to industrialization of Assam and our target to ensure employment of the next generation and our unemployed youths,� he said.
�We have to strengthen the economy of the state. We want to develop Assam in cooperation with the people of Assam. In this, all the departments of the Centre have extended all assistance,� Sonowal said.
�We trust the forthcoming Global Investors� Summit � Advantage Assam will be a success. The summit will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister and will be attended by the Union Finance Minister, the Commerce and Industry Minister and the Transport and Highway Minister, Nitin Gadkari, besides several other central ministers.
�The aim is to exploit the resources and develop the hills and valleys of the state. We have invited many foreign investors to the Summit,� the Chief Minister said.
