Majuli (Assam) [India], February 13 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday inaugurated the construction of the Majuli-Jorhat bridge and its connecting highway, aiming to accelerate development in the Satra hub of Majuli. The inauguration ceremony was held at Manika Pathar in Garmur, Majuli.

It may be noted that during his day-long visit to Majuli district, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for several projects worth Rs 2,218 crore, and presented cheques to 31,952 beneficiaries under MMUA.

The Chief Minister then inaugurated the academic building and a girls' hostel of Majuli Cultural University, the Integrated District Commissioner's Office, the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police, the District Transport Officer's Office, a Government Model Degree College, the Dakshinpat Satra Museum, the Jyoti Bishnu Cultural complex, and a bridge over the Lohit River at Selekghat.

The academic building and girls' hostel of Majuli Cultural University were built at a cost of Rs 51 crore. The three-storey academic building can accommodate 1,880 students. It also houses the offices of the Vice Chancellor and Registrar, staff rooms, and other facilities.

The four-storey hostel can house 178 students. The Integrated District Commissioner's Office at Garamur has been constructed at a cost of Rs 24.83 crore. The District Transport Officer's Office, built between Garmur and Kamalabari, has been built at a cost of Rs 3.57 crore.

The Government Model Degree College, built at a sprawling 30 bighas of land at a cost of Rs 33.17 crore ,includes three academic blocks, a girls' hostel, quarters for faculty, and quarters for Grade III and Grade IV staff, along with residences for the Principal and the Warden.

The Dakshinpat Satra Museum, built at a cost of Rs 3.64 crore to preserve the satra's cultural heritage, includes audiovisual rooms, exhibition halls, a strong room, and study rooms. At Garamur, the three-storey office for the Senior Superintendent of Police has been built at a cost of Rs 4.20 crore, and the Jyoti Bishnu Cultural Project auditorium built at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore.

Under Asom Mala 1.0, the State government upgraded the road from Balichapori in Majuli to Bongaonmara in Lakhimpur and built two bridges over the Lohit and Subansiri rivers to strengthen road links between Majuli and Lakhimpur.

As part of this effort, the 702.30 metre bridge over the Lohit River was inaugurated.

The Chief Minister also resumed construction of the Majuli Jorhat bridge, which had halted on 5 September 2024. The government set the target of completing the bridge by 11 December 2027.

Meanwhile, in the Majuli Legislative Assembly constituency, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma handed over cheques of seed capital consisting of Rs 10,000 to each of the 31,952 women entrepreneurs. It may be noted that, with today's distribution, a total of 28,17,857 women received entrepreneurship funds across 113 Assembly constituencies.

Speaking at a public meeting held at Garmur Manika Pathar, Chief Minister Dr Sarma said the Rs 10,000 that the women beneficiaries received today marked only the beginning.

The scheme seeks to support women until they become Lakhpati.

He said the government wants women, alongside men, to earn and help their families. He said that as women earn, they gain respect within their families. Over the past five years, the Assam government has taken many steps to help women become Lakhpati.

The Chief Minister also outlined steps that the State government has taken to ease the burden on poor and middle-class families.

He announced that 2,000 more women in the Majuli constituency will benefit from the Orunodoi scheme.

Terming the day a moment of great joy for Majuli, the Chief Minister said the district had never seen such an unprecedented development in the past.

He said that people can now travel from Majuli to Dibrugarh in a short time through Matmora. He also said that the Dhakuakhana Majuli road via Matmora from Bogibeel now holds state highway status.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, Guardian Minister Majuli Jogen Mohan, MLAs Bhuban Gam and Naba Kumar Doley, MD Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission Director Kuntal Moni Sarma Bordoloi, and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion. (ANI)