Himanta invites Modi to open Guwahati ring road on Sept 8

Guwahati: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lay the foundation stone of the Guwahati Ring Road project, valued at Rs 5,700 crore.

This infrastructure initiative will connect the northern and southern areas across the Brahmaputra through eastern Guwahati. The planned 55-km road, running from Baihata Chariali to Sonapur via Narengi, will feature four to six lanes encompassing the city and its outskirts. The project is set to conclude in Dec 2027. Sarma also invited Modi to participate in the year-long celebrations marking Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika's birth centenary, beginning in Sept.

Himanta announced that the Prime Minister has confirmed his participation in these events, scheduled for Sept 8. After their meeting, Sarma posted on ‘X': "It was my privilege to meet Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji in New Delhi today. I had the honour of inviting him to Assam as the Chief Guest for the inaugural ceremony of the year-long celebration of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika's birth centenary."

Sarma also requested the Prime Minister to attend the inauguration of the Assam Bio-Ethanol Plant, which will generate 49 KTPA ethanol utilising 300 KTPA bamboo feedstock. "In addition, I also requested him to lay the foundation stones of two key infrastructure projects — the ₹5,700 crore Guwahati Ring Road project and the Darrang Medical College and Hospital," Sarma stated.

The state cabinet has endorsed plans for year-long centenary celebrations honouring the cultural icon and music maestro Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika. The celebrations will span from Sept 8, 2025, to Sept 8, 2026. The cabinet decided to include chief ministers from all seven northeastern states in the committee. Events will be organised in Guwahati, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Arunachal Pradesh. The cabinet has also sanctioned the publication of Bhupen Hazarika's biography in various languages.