Sonowal assures Assam govt's support for NRL expansion

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday assured the state government's full support for the timely completion of the expansion project of the Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL).

The foundation stone of the expansion project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January this year.

The chief minister while reviewing the preliminary progress of the project at Numaligarh, urged the NRL officials to adhere to the timeframe as per the roadmap prepared for the execution of the expansion project, an official spokesman said here.

Sonowal assured the NRL officials that the state government would extend all required support for the timely completion of the expansion project, he said.

Sonowal said that as the bio-fuel plant is expected to generate huge direct and indirect employment, NRL must carry out a study to identify the size of skilled manpower required to run the plant as well as the ancillary industries so that necessary skill development initiatives could be taken.

He also requested the NRL officials to prepare an assessment report to guide the government on skill enhancement and maximization of people's involvement in the proposed project.

The chief minister also appreciated the efforts of NRL officials under the leadership of its managing director S K Baruah in convincing the Union government to make highest ever investment for a single project in the North East amounting to Rs 22,594 crore.

He expressed hope that augmentation of the capacity of NRL would not only benefit its production capacity but also make the state visible in the industrial landscape of South East Asia.

The cabinet committee on economic affairs has approved the project and construction on the proposed 6 MMTPA refinery would start from 2020 with mechanical completion by 2023, the spokesman said.

During the meeting NRL's managing director also handed over to the chief minister, the company's final dividends of Rs 27.24 crore.

Altogether a dividend of Rs 154 crore has been given to the state government by NRL during the current financial year, officials said.