“The existing town can’t take the load of Silchar,” says Ashok Singhal, hints at expansion

Guardian Minister of Cachar, Ashok Singhal has held a press conference earlier today in Silchar. It was his first visit after being assigned as the Guardian minister of the district.

“I have been given a report by the concerned authorities, which states that 64 schools in Cachar does not have a Girls Toilet. Girls toilet in 101 schools need immediate repairing. 174 schools does not have toilet for male students and 336 schools need the toilet to be repaired. 413 schools need to be connected with electricity,” said Singhal at the very beginning.

He added, “I have instructed the administration to complete this work within the span of 120 days and the deputy commissioner of Cachar will look into the matter. The department of Education Government of Assam has approved the project and I hope it will be executed in time.

The Guardian Minister of Cachar, Ashok Singhal also reviewed the ongoing development projects in the urban areas of the city. “The city needs new infrastructure as the existing ones are not enough. We will plan and develop accordingly,” said the Guardian Minister.

The roads in Silchar are congested and the unplanned development of the city has resulted in it being city of chaos. The unplanned development becomes a huge issue each time there is a disaster. Earlier this year, a fire broke at a high rise building in Silchar’s Panpatty area. The Fire Brigade engines could not reach the spot of fire as there were concrete obstructions around. Moreover, traffic jams remain a major issue throughout the city.

When asked if there is a plan to expand the city, minister Singhal said, “The existing town cannot take the load of Silchar. We have a master plan to expand the town. The municipality area will remain the same but there will be an expansion around it. However, this needs to be a collaborative approach and not an-one direction one. The general public needs contribute with ideas and suggestions. I have asked the District Development Authority to start the conversation.”

About the review meetings he said that those need to go beyond reports on paper. “See, there are a good number of issues and if I get into post-mortem, I will need to don the hat of vigilance Minister and leave the portfolio of Guardian Minister. What I have asked is that the reports cannot just be a piece of paper. We need to have some reflections of the ground realities as well,” said Singhal.

“For me, this tour is a learning experience. I got to know about the pineapple cultivation in Lakhipur. We have a plan called Mission Pineapple through which we will promote the production and culture,” said Ashok Singhal.

In Cachar district, there are several projects like the Multi Modal Logistics Park, Greenfield Airport, approaches of several ready RCC bridges are getting delayed as due to land acquisition and identification. “We need to approach it scientifically. There is no point starting the project and then struggling for the land. Just because we have money we cannot go ahead with all projects. Land identification and acquisition is a critical issue,” said Singhal.