GUWAHATI: The Assam cabinet has approved the creation of 476 secretary positions at Village Development Committees (VDC) and Village Council Development Committees (VCDC) across the areas under the sixth schedule of the Constitution.
This was announced by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday.
Sarma said that the 476 secretary positions were created due to the absence of such roles in these local governance bodies.
He said there are 420 VCDCs and VDCs in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), 28 in Dima Hasao, and 26 in Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts.
The position of secretary at these councils was vacant for a long time, the chief minister said.
“In the sixth schedule areas, there are no Panchayats. VCDCs and VDCs oversee the work of Panchayat in these areas. In Assam, there are 420 VCDCs in BTC, 28 in Dima Hasao, and 26 in Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong,” he said.
Sarma said, “These councils have been operating without designated secretaries for a prolonged period. Hence, we have decided to propose the creation of 476 secretary posts.”
Speaking on the Guwahati-North Guwahati bridge, Sarma said that the construction costs have exceeded earlier estimates. He said, “For the construction of the Guwahati-North Guwahati bridge, we had estimated the construction cost to be Rs 2,600 crore. However, today in the cabinet, a revised estimate of Rs 3,030 crore has been proposed.”
He clarified that the bulk of this cost would be financed by the New Development Bank, with the Assam government contributing a relatively small portion, amounting to Rs 164 crore.
Commenting on the progress of the project, Sarma said, “We anticipate that the construction of the Guwahati-North Guwahati bridge will be completed by June 2025.”
Upon completion, the bridge is expected to greatly enhance regional connectivity and economic growth, he added.
