Guwahati (Gurpreet Singh): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a series of infrastructure and development projects in Assam, including a new bridge over the Brahmaputra, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Guwahati and a National Data Centre for the northeastern region.
The projects, unveiled months before the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, are aimed at enhancing connectivity, strengthening digital infrastructure, boosting higher education and improving urban public transport.
During his day-long visit, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, a six-lane extradosed Prestressed Concrete bridge constructed at an estimated cost of ₹3,030 crore. The bridge connects Guwahati with North Guwahati and is the first extradosed bridge in the Northeast.
Spanning 7.75 km including approach roads and flyovers, the structure features a 1.24 km main bridge over the Brahmaputra River. It incorporates base isolation technology using friction pendulum bearings to address the region’s high seismic vulnerability. A Bridge Health Monitoring System has also been installed for real-time structural assessment and early damage detection.
The project, implemented by the Assam Public Works Department, was funded with support from the New Development Bank, with 20 per cent of the cost borne by the state government. Construction began in March 2020 after the foundation stone was laid in February 2019.
The new bridge is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Guwahati and North Guwahati from approximately 30 minutes to around seven minutes. Currently, the Saraighat Bridge is the only link between the two banks in the capital region.
Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were present at the inauguration ceremony.
Later, at Lachit Ghat, Modi virtually inaugurated the temporary campus of the Indian Institute of Management Guwahati. The permanent campus, to be developed at Palasbari near Guwahati at a projected cost of ₹555 crore, will commence academic sessions from a transit facility at Tech City, Bongora. The new institute becomes the second IIM in the Northeast after Indian Institute of Management Shillong and the 22nd in the country.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the National Data Centre at Amingaon in Kamrup district, established at an investment of ₹348 crore. Designed with a total sanctioned load of 8.5 MW, the centre will host mission-critical government applications and serve as a disaster recovery hub for other data centres, strengthening the region’s digital backbone under the Digital India initiative.
Additionally, Modi flagged off 225 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme. Of these, 100 buses will operate in Guwahati, 50 each in Nagpur and Bhavnagar, and 25 in Chandigarh. The initiative is expected to benefit over 50 lakh citizens by providing cleaner and more reliable public transport.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister also inaugurated an emergency landing facility at Moran in Dibrugarh district as part of defence and strategic infrastructure enhancement.
