Bhupen Goswami 

 GUWAHATI : The Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday attended as Chief Guest the ceremonial partial commissioning of JICA-Assisted Guwahati Water Supply Project at an event held at the premises of its water treatment plant at Kharghuli. The project, launched in the year 2009 with the aim to provide clean potable water to the residents of Guwahati, is scheduled to be ready for full-commissioning by March 2024 and has the capacity to cater to 1.25 lakh households in parts of the city with 24-hours water supply. The partial commissioning today would enable Guwahati Jal Board to provide water supply to approximately 13,000 households in the city's multiple localities. Addressing a public meeting correlating with the event, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma termed the partial inauguration a milestone in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the residents of Guwahati.

The Chief Minister exuded confidence the partial commissioning of the project would be able to mitigate water scarcity woes of a large number of the city's households. He further stated that the aim was to provide water supply to more than a lakh households, adding all necessary steps are being taken to ensure completion of the entire project by March 2024. He added the partial commissioning today would provide the residents of East Guwahati with a well-maintained water supply system, which was one of their long-standing demands. Referring to the delay of 13 years between the launch of the project in 2009 to its partial commissioning today, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma expressed his gratitude towards Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the flexibility and patience displayed by it for more than a decade. Dr. Sarma further expressed his regret at the slow pace of the project in the initial years after its launch, while assuring all JICA-assisted projects currently under various stages of implementation in the State would be accorded top-most priority by the government of Assam. Dr. Sarma remarked that projects such as the one partially commissioned today would act as catalysts in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aim of sustainable growth and development in Assam and the rest of the Northeast. The Chief Minister said this water supply project isn't a project alone but symbolises the relationship of deep trust and mutual respect between India and Japan.

The India-Japan relationship completing 70 years is a manifestation of that respect and mutual trust between the two nations, the Chief Minister said, adding in years to come, this relationship would only grow stronger than ever before. Minister of Department of Housing & Urban Affairs Ashok Singhal, referring to the Chief Minister as a karmayogi and a resolute leader, said Dr. Sarma didn't allow any hurdle stand in the way of completion of the project. Singhal added the entire project would be completed as per schedule, following the Chief Minister's mantra of reform, perform and transform. Apart from the Chief Minister Dr. Sarma and DoHUA Minister Singhal, the ceremonial partial commissioning event also witnessed the attendance of Minister & Deputy Chief of Mission of Embassy of Japan to India Kunihiko Kawazu, Chief Representative of JICA India Office Mitsunori Saito, Guwahati Municipal Corporation Mayor Mrigen Sarania, Commissioner & Secretary to Government of Assam Kavitha Padmanabhan, along with a host of other dignitaries and guests.