Guwahati, June 27 (IANS) In a significant move to boost infrastructure and community development, the Assam State Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday approved key decisions under Mission Basundhara 3.0 and amended governance rules for autonomous councils and panchayats.
The Chief Minister said: “The Cabinet cleared the allotment of government land for 942 infrastructure projects across 11 districts, including Kamrup, Barpeta, and Dhemaji. Barpeta leads with 170 proposals, followed by Dhemaji (207) and Lakhimpur (175).”
CM Sarma told reporters here: “Additionally, 1,977 non-government educational, religious, and socio-cultural institutions in 12 districts will receive land under the same mission. Barpeta tops the list again with 296 allotments, followed by Biswanath (261) and Tinsukia (252).”
The Cabinet amended the Assam Panchayat (Constitution) Rules, 1995 mandating that reservations for SC/ST and women in Zilla Parishad President/Vice-President posts be allocated via public lottery and rotation. The process will exclude districts already reserved in previous cycles, ensuring equitable representation.
To enhance governance for indigenous communities, the Cabinet approved ordinances amending the Moran Autonomous Council Act, 2020 and the Matak Autonomous Council Act, 2020.
The changes aim to streamline administration and accelerate socio-economic progress for the Moran and Matak communities.
The Chief Minister said: “These decisions underscore the government’s push for decentralized development and inclusive growth.”
Meanwhile, in a separate development the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Friday announced the successful capping of the gas blowout at its Well RDS-147A in Assam’s Sivasagar district, terming the complex operation a milestone executed with “high precision and coordination”.
The confirmation came after Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri announced the development on X, praising ONGC’s Crisis Management Team and its partners for resolving the situation safely and swiftly.
In an official statement, ONGC said the capping operation marked a major achievement in the well control efforts, following a blowout that occurred during service operations at the site on June 12.
The incident had led to an uncontrolled gas discharge from the well.
The statement noted that at dawn on Friday, ONGC’s Crisis Management Team, along with experts from international firm CUDD Pressure Control and local operations personnel, began the critical task of removing the damaged Blowout Preventer (BOP) from the wellhead.
“The entire operation was conducted with meticulous planning, technical finesse, and close coordination to maintain stability and avoid any imbalance or toppling during the lifting of the damaged BOP,” the ONGC spokesperson said.
–IANS
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