Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a two-day visit to Assam, inaugurated the newly constructed Brahmaputra Wing of the Raj Bhawan in Guwahati on Friday (August 29).
The union minister was welcomed by Assam Governor Laxmi Prasad Acharya and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at the venue.
Before the ceremony, Shah offered prayers at a temple inside the Raj Bhawan, performed gau pujan (cow worship), and planted a Sindur tree amidst the chanting of Vedic hymns.
The Union Minister also virtually inaugurated the National Cyber Forensic Laboratory–North East (NCFL-NE) at the Lachit Borphukan Police Academy in Dergaon, built at a cost of Rs 45 crore.
“Joined Adarniya Griha Mantri Shri @AmitShah ji and Hon’ble Governor Shri @Laxmanacharya54 ji, as Hon’ble Home Minister inaugurated the new Raj Bhavan today and dedicated a host of facilities to bolster internal security,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X.
The facility is equipped to handle network, mobile, media and disk forensics, damaged media data recovery, OSINT, and cryptocurrency investigations. It will house police officials from all eight northeastern states and provide advanced training in digital forensics and cybercrime investigations.
Besides, Shah also inaugurated and laid foundation stones for multiple infrastructure projects of the paramilitary forces, including the SSB headquarters housing quarters, a 350-jawan barrack, official mess, and a 10-bedded hospital for ITBP personnel at Sonapur, and new facilities for the Assam Rifles.
The first Raj Bhawan in Guwahati was inaugurated on October 19, 1980, by Governor L.P. Singh, but it functioned more as a camp office. It was only in 1989 that it was converted into a Raj Bhawan.
“On January 5, 2023, we laid the foundation stone for the new Raj Bhawan. Today, near the Brahmaputra riverside, we inaugurate one of the most beautiful Raj Bhawans in the country,” Sarma said.
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The chief minister noted that this was only the first phase of the new Raj Bhawan’s development, adding that a grand Durbar Hall and several other facilities would be added in the coming phases.
