Assam will be transformed into Oil and Natural Gas Hub : PM

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : PM Narendra Modi on February 9, 2019, visited Guwahati as a part of his visit to Arunachal, Assam and Tripura. He laid foundation stone for North East Gas Grid. He also unveiled several other development projects in the state.

Speaking on the occasion, the PM said, “Today is a new chapter in the history of the Northeast and the fast-paced development of this region has been a top priority for my government.” He added that Assam is on the path of progress. “Our dedication to North East has been proven in the interim budget as allocation to North East has been increased by more than 21%,” he said

PM Modi said his Government is committed to all round development of North eastern states and assured them that it will protect their culture, resources and languages. On Citizenship Bill, the PM urged people not be carried away by the rumours related to the citizenship bill. He said, “36 years have passed Assam accord has not been implemented yet and only Modi-led government would fulfil this.”  He urged the political parties to stop playing with the emotions of the people of Assam for political gain and vote bank. He also assured the people of north east that their state will not be harmed through Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Will ensure your demand of Assam Accord is implemented, he added.

Speaking about corruption, the PM said, “The chowkidar is cracking-down on the corrupt. The previous governments had made corruption a state of normalcy but we are uprooting this menace from the society.”

The PM laid the foundation stone of North East Gas Grid which will ensure uninterrupted availability of natural gas across the region and boost industrial growth in the region. He inaugurated Hollong Modular Gas Processing Plant in Tinsukia, which will deliver 15% of the total gas produced in Assam. He also inaugurated LPG Capacity Augmentation of Mounted Storage Vessel in North Guwahati.

The PM laid foundation of NRL Bio-refinery at Numaligarh and a 729 km gas pipeline from Barauni – Guwahati passing through Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim & Assam on this occasion. He said “Numaligarh will be the largest among 12 bio- refineries to be built across India. These facilities will transform Assam into oil and natural gas hub and boost India’s economy, he added. He spoke about Government plans for blending ethanol by up to 10%.

He laid foundation stone of City Gas Distribution Networks in Kamrup, Cacher, Hailakandi, and Karimganj districts.  “In 2014, there were around 25 lakh PNG connections which became 46 lakh in just four years. The number of CNG refuelling stations also increased from 950 to 1,500 in the same period,” the PM said. He also laid the foundation of a six-lane bridge over mighty river Brahmaputra. On the occasion, he said that today we are starting the work for a six-lane highway over Brahmaputra, which will reduce time between the two river banks – from 1.30 hours to 15 mins.

PM said that he was proud that his Government gave Bharat Ratna to Gopinath Bordoloi, Bhupen Hazarika. He said, “Bhupen Hazarika could have been alive to receive the award but it did not happen in the previous regime as Bharat Ratna used to be reserved for some people the moment they were born, it used to take decades to honour people who spent their lives to bring honour to nation.”