GUWAHATI, Jan 26: Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma etched his name in history books when he, in a first on Republic Day, unfurled the national flag at the Khanikar ground in Dibrugarh, as he once again outlined his government’s vision of a developed Assam, one that will put the State among the top-five States of India.
Chief Minister Dr Sarma, who was accompanied, among others, by his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma along with other senior government and police officials, spoke on the various plans and projects the government has been working on since he took over as chief minister of the State on May 10, 2021, while reiterating his commitment to establishing Dibrugarh as the second capital of Assam.
Chief Minister Dr Sarma began his speech with a poem by celebrated Assamese poet Ambikagiri Raichoudhury, and highlighted his government’s vision and roadmap for the future days.
“Our government had earlier declared about elevating Dibrugarh to a municipal corporation, the second in the State. Today I feel honoured and privileged to unfurl the national flag in Dibrugarh for the first time on Republic Day. Today will go down in history as a red letter day for Dibrugarh. We will begin the work of constructing a legislative assembly in Dibrugarh on Jan 25, 2026, and will hold a session of the Assam Legislative Assembly here annually from 2027,” Chief Minister Dr Sarma said in his address to the people, while hoping to transform the eastern Assam town into one of the major cities of the country.
“We are also hopeful of translating into reality this year our plan of constructing an express highway between Guwahati and Silchar which will reduce travel time to 5 hours from the 8 hours it now takes,” Chief Minister Dr Sarma said, adding that people will get 10 new universities by April this year while highlighting plans to transform Assam into a hub of education and learning.
“Once shrouded in curfews and boycotts, Dibrugarh today stands proudly as the center of Republic Day celebrations in Assam. This remarkable journey reflects the strength of the world’s greatest Republic- Bharat,” he stated in a post on ‘X’, pointing to the atmosphere of peace that is fostering growth and development in Assam.