Modi to lay foundation of Kaziranga elevated corridor, witness 'Bagurumba' dance: Himanta

Guwahati, Jan 9 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation of a 34.5-km elevated corridor through the Kaziranga National Park in Assam later this month, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.

Modi is expected to visit the state on a two-day programme from January 17, during which he will also witness a special performance of Bodo dance form 'Bagurumba', he said.

Addressing a press conference after chairing a meeting of the council of ministers, Sarma said, "The prime minister's proposed visit to the state was discussed at length." He said Modi is expected to reach Guwahati on January 17 evening and witness the Bagurumba performance by 8,000-10,000 artistes at Sarusajai Stadium in the city.

The PM will spend the night at the State Guest House No. 1 here and leave for Kaliabor in Nagaon district the next day, where he will address a public rally at Mouchanda field.

"At the rally, Modi ji will lay the foundation for the 34.5-km elevated corridor from Kaliabor to Bokakhat, through the Kaziranga National Park," Sarma said.

He said the Union Cabinet has approved Rs 6,957 crore for the project, making it the biggest such in the state.

Land acquisition by the state government has been completed, and the tender process by the National Highway Authority of India is in the final stage, Sarma added.

"Once this corridor is completed, it will save animals from vehicle hit while crossing the road during annual floods in Kaziranga. Another major advantage will be the decrease in road time for vehicles travelling from Guwahati to Jorhat, Sivasagar or beyond," he said.

Sarma maintained that the distance that is now travelled in 1.15 hours due to speed restrictions in Kaziranga will be crossed in 20 minutes through the elevated corridor.

He added that the existing route through the national park will also remain open and travellers will have the option of choosing as per their preference.

Sarma further said that Modi will flag off two trains, one between Dibrugarh and Gomti, and another between Guwahati and Rohtak, from the rally at Kaliabor.

"The Prime Minister will also flag off the first Vande Bharat sleeper between Kolkata and Guwahati on January 17 from our neighbouring state. Thus, we will be getting three new trains in two days," he added.

The chief minister further said that the Cabinet approved the allocation of one bigha of land in Guwahati to Bodo Sahitya Sabha for a multi-purpose project.

Land allotments to several applicants under Mission Basundhara 2.0 were also okayed by the council of ministers, he added. PTI SSG SSG RG