Assam to get 2nd capital? CM Himanta's big announcement
What's the story
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced that Dibrugarh will be developed as the state's second capital within three years.
"Dibrugarh will be the second capital of Assam in the next three years," Sarma said during the Republic Day celebrations in Dibrugarh.
He also said that a permanent building for the Assam assembly would be constructed in this city, situated on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River in Upper Assam.
Assembly plans
Dibrugarh to host annual Assam assembly session from 2027
Sarma further said that starting in 2027, one session of the Assam Assembly will be held every year in Dibrugarh.
The construction of this new assembly building will begin on January 25 next year.
"In the next three years, Dibrugarh will become an important city in India," he said in his Republic Day speech.
Urban development
Tezpur and Silchar included in Assam's urbanization plan
The chief minister also announced plans to build a Raj Bhavan in Tezpur as well as develop it as Assam's cultural capital.
Also, Silchar is slated to get a secretariat and an office of the chief secretary to connect Barak Valley and Guwahati.
All these will be part of a larger urbanization plan for Tezpur, Silchar, and Dibrugarh according to Sarma.
Decentralization move
Sarma's efforts to decentralize administrative functions
Notably, last year, Sarma had inaugurated the first Chief Minister's secretariat outside Guwahati in Dibrugarh town.
The move was viewed as a step toward decentralizing administrative functions and promoting regional development.
Dibrugarh, which bears the sobriquet 'Tea City of India', saw CM Sarma unfurl the national flag earlier today marking Republic Day.
Meanwhile, Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya unfurled the flag in Guwahati.