PM on a two-day visit to Asom from April 8

Guwahati, Apr 7: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be on a two-day visit to the city tomorrow, where he will lay the foundation of two long-awaited projects.

Dr Singh would lay the foundations of a new road bridge over the Brahmaputra river and the much-delayed Assam Gas Cracker Project.

His visit to neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh to lay the foundation for a power project was, however, deferred due to political unrest in the Himalayan state.

The scheduled foundation for a new road bridge over the Brahmaputra would be laid parallel to the existing Saraighat bridge in Guwahati.

The bridge, being constructed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) as part of the 'East-West Corridor', has been sanctioned as a road bridge.

However, there were high expectations from the Prime Minister about the bridge being declared as a rail-cum-road bridge since various organisations have been demanding a rail link on the bridge.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi discussed the matter with the Union Surface Transport Minister, who stated that the construction of a rail-cum-road bridge was a feasible proposal.

Dr Singh would proceed to Dibrugarh on Monday morning, where he would lay the foundation for a gas cracker project.

The Rs 5,460 crore Assam Gas Cracker Project at Lepetkata in Dibrugarh district would be implemented by the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymers, a joint venture company formed for the gas cracker project.

The Gas Authority of India Limited(GAIL) holds 70 per cent stake in the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymers, while Oil India and Numaligarh Refinery share the remaining 30 per cent equity equally.

The Prime Minister, a Rajya Sabha member from the state, would return to New Delhi from Dibrugarh.

The All Assam Students' Union(AASU) has urged Dr Singh to visit the Indo-Bangladesh border in the state to witness the slow rate of progress of border fencing.

The students' body had claimed that border fencing was far from being completed even after the expiry of the extended deadline of March 31.

''The Prime Minister, being a representative of the people of Asom, should make it a point to visit the porous border and take immediate steps for its sealing,'' the AASU demanded.

Border fencing was among the priority clauses of the historic Assam Accord, signed on August 15, 1985. However, the fencing is yet to be completed.

UNI