Silchar: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday dedicated the Assam Secretariat, Barak Valley, in Silchar to the people and inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for several development projects worth around Rs 340 crore across the three districts of the valley — Cachar, Hailakandi and Sribhumi.
Speaking at the event in Silchar, the Chief Minister said the new Secretariat marks a major step towards decentralising governance and bringing the administration closer to the people of Barak Valley.
Constructed on 15 bighas of land with a built-up area of 18,585 square metres, the Assam Secretariat complex was completed within 36 months.
The facility includes the main Secretariat building, an auditorium with a seating capacity of 747, a guest house, the Chief Minister’s residence, officers’ quarters and residential quarters for Grade-III and Grade-IV employees.
The sixth floor of the Secretariat building houses offices for the Chief Minister, the Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister and the Minister of the Barak Valley Development Department.
CM Sarma said that for many years administrative decision-making in Assam remained largely centred in Guwahati, but the present government has prioritised balanced regional development and decentralisation.
He noted that an Assembly session had earlier been held in Kokrajhar and a new Secretariat has also been established in Dibrugarh, along with an Assembly complex currently under construction there.
“The government should reach the people rather than the people having to go to the government,” Sarma said, adding that the new Secretariat would make government services more accessible to residents of Barak Valley.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister inaugurated the Silchar Convention Centre at Shilkuri in the Borkhola constituency, built at a cost of Rs 15.6 crore.
The facility includes a conference hall with a seating capacity of 142 people, along with guest rooms, VIP lounges, a media room and parking space for around 80 vehicles.
Sarma also laid the foundation stones for several infrastructure, healthcare and connectivity projects across Cachar, Hailakandi and Sribhumi districts.
(IANS)
