Assam Secretariat in Silchar brings administration closer to Barak Valley: Himanta Sarma

Guwahati, Aug 31 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said the establishment of the Assam Secretariat in Silchar will bring administration closer to the people of Barak Valley and end the need for residents to travel to Guwahati to access key government departments.

Taking to the social media platform X, CM Sarma said the initiative would bridge a gap that had existed for decades and make administrative services more accessible to people in the southern Assam region.

“The people of Barak Valley no longer need to travel to Guwahati to access the administration. The administration has come closer to them,” the Chief Minister said.

He said the Assam Secretariat in Silchar would house key departments, allowing people from the Barak Valley to approach the administration closer to their homes instead of travelling to the state capital for official work.

The move is being seen as an important step towards decentralising governance and strengthening administrative outreach in one of Assam’s key regions.

Barak Valley, comprising Cachar, Hailakandi and Sribhumi districts, has historically remained geographically distant from Guwahati, with residents often having to undertake long journeys to the state capital for government-related matters. The setting up of a Secretariat facility in Silchar is expected to improve coordination between the administration and people of the region while reducing the need for frequent travel to Guwahati.

CM Sarma has in recent years emphasised the need to strengthen governance and administrative infrastructure beyond Guwahati and ensure that government services are more easily accessible across Assam.

The Silchar initiative is also expected to provide a stronger administrative presence in southern Assam and facilitate faster engagement between various departments and local stakeholders.

The Chief Minister’s announcement comes amid the state government’s efforts to expand infrastructure and administrative facilities across Assam.

Officials and residents in the region are expected to benefit from easier access to departments dealing with public services and development-related matters.

The government has maintained that bringing administration closer to citizens would improve efficiency, responsiveness and delivery of welfare and development programmes.

With the Assam Secretariat facility in Silchar, the state government aims to give the Barak Valley a more direct interface with the state administration while addressing a long-standing demand for greater administrative accessibility in the region.

–IANS

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