The early morning of February 17 brought an exhilarating sight as MLAs and Cabinet Ministers embarked on a nearly 200-km journey to attend the inaugural sitting of the Budget session of the Assam Legislative Assembly in Kokrajhar marking the first time the session was held outside the State capital. At around 6 AM, the leader onboard a Volvo bus started the journey. On the way, the legislators and ministers cutting across party lines assembled at the Circuit House in Bajali, where they had breakfast.
The historic session commenced with Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya hoisting the national flag and delivering his customary address. In his speech, the Governor highlighted the Government of Assam’s commitment to the philosophy of ‘Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi’ and outlined the State’s growth roadmap and key achievements.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Kokrajhar was electric, as the town which was once engulfed in insurgency, witnessed such an event.
Speaker of the BTC Legislative Assembly, Katiram Boro, called the day a landmark moment for Bodoland. “We never thought that an Assam Legislative Assembly session could take place outside Dispur and now our region has the honour of hosting this important event. It is a joyous occasion for us,” Boro said.
He spoke about the infrastructure developments undertaken for the occasion. “After Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and ALA Speaker Biswajit Daimari decided to hold the session in Kokrajhar, we began preparing for it. We increased the seating capacity from 46 to 126 and installed additional microphones, along with other upgrades like input and output facilities.”
Boro also expressed gratitude to the DGP of Assam Police and the IGP of BTR for overseeing security measures, ensuring that daily life was not disrupted.
The session, which began at 12 PM and lasted until 6:30 PM, was chaired by ALA Speaker Biswajit Daimari and Deputy Speaker Numul Momim, “As the Speaker of the BTC Assembly, witnessing the ALA Speaker convening the house with so many public representatives was a valuable learning experience for me,” shared Boro, adding, “The entire team at the BTC Legislative Assembly worked tirelessly to make this event a success.”
Amarendra Narayan Deka, Secretary of the BTC Legislative Assembly, stated that Assam has now become the third State in India to host legislative sessions in two places, “Jammu & Kashmir and Maharashtra hold sessions in more than one location—Jammu & Srinagar in J&K, and Mumbai and Nagpur in Maharashtra. Now, Assam joins them by holding sessions in both Dispur and Kokrajhar,” he noted.
The Chief Minister, in his address, remarked, “This is a historic session for Assam, taking place, for the first time, outside Dispur. It is a symbol that peace has returned to Bodoland.”
“I dream of a golden Bodoland where Bodos and non-Bodos will live in peace together, think and work together for the welfare and development of all people.
He said that over ₹1,500 cr was released to BTC last year for infrastructure development & ₹150 cr for the construction of a stadium in Kokrajhar. He said that Kokrajhar which has two universities, a Medical College, an Engineering College and a CIT will soon have another medical college at Tamulpur and two bridges over the river Pagladia in Tamulpur. “The Bishmuri-Saralpara Road connecting Bhutan is being upgraded while Kokrajhar-Karigaon road leading to BTC capital is going to be upgraded to four lanes,” The Chief Minister said.
The CM announced ₹500 cr for the development of road infrastructure of BTC in the current financial year.
Terming the decision as the far-sighted vision of Chief Minister, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the ALA Speaker posted on X, “This historic step will bring people closer to the Assembly and legislators.”
A special discussion on the empowerment of the 6th Schedule councils of Assam was also held during the special session, emphasizing the State’s commitment to the development of its diverse regions.
