Silchar: Assam Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika on Monday laid the foundation for a series of infrastructure projects in Cachar, signalling the state government’s renewed focus on flood control, urban water security and citizen-oriented policing.

The minister launched a Rs 400 crore anti-erosion project at Lakhipur to protect Binnakandi Part II and nearby areas along the left bank of the Barak river.

The project will use A-type geo bags, porcupines and geosynthetic fabric sheets to address long-standing erosion that has affected large parts of the Lakhipur Assembly constituency.

Addressing a public gathering in the presence of minister Kaushik Rai, Hazarika said the government has shifted to a scientific, mission-mode approach to flood and erosion management. What this really means, he said, is fewer breaches and more durable protection for vulnerable riverine areas.

He drew a comparison with earlier decades, noting that around 4,500 km of embankments were built in the seven decades after Independence, while nearly 1,000 km have been constructed in the last four-and-a-half years alone.

Annual embankment breaches, which earlier ranged between 40 and 60 and sometimes crossed 100, have been reduced to two to five over the past four years. According to the minister, this reflects better planning, monitoring and execution on the ground.

The day’s programme also focused on public safety. Hazarika laid foundation stones for new police stations at Kachudaram and Sonai under the MOITRI scheme, aimed at improving police infrastructure and making stations more responsive to citizens. The events were attended by minister Kaushik Rai, MP Parimal Suklabaidya and MLAs Nihar Ranjan Das and Karim Uddin Borbhuyan.

Later, the minister laid the foundation stone for a Rs 2.20 crore anti-erosion project at Uttarkrishnapur Part II to protect the AMRUT water intake plant, a key source of drinking water for Silchar.

The project is expected to shield the facility from river erosion and ensure uninterrupted water supply to the town.

Summing up the initiatives, Hazarika said the state, under Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, is prioritising resilient infrastructure, safer communities and long-term development, with an emphasis on outcomes rather than announcements.

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