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Guwahati
A massive fire that broke out at a commercial complex in Guwahati remained untamed for over 33 hours even as more than two dozen fire tenders have been struggling to douse the blaze, a senior official said on Thursday. The fire broke out at Swagata Square Complex in ABC Point around 12.30 am on Wednesday. The multi-storey building houses SBI's zonal office, commercial branch and the premium banking branch, and a shopping mall, 'Sohum Emporia'. More than 25 fire tenders have been struggling for more than 33 hours. Water tenders from the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Guwahati Refinery also joined the efforts to douse the blaze, while NDRF was called in to assist with their high-tech smoke reduction machine. Apart from Guwahati, fire tenders came from Morigaon, Kamrup and Nalbari districts, as well, while more vehicles were on the way from Darrang. "The fire is still raging on the sixth floor. We are trying to douse it," a senior official of the Fire & Emergency Services ...
Guwahati has emerged as Northeast India's commercial powerhouse, with major infrastructure investments set to reshape the region's real estate landscape through 2028, according to a report. The report titled 'Beyond the metros: Insights into India's emerging real estate stars' by leading commercial real estate and investment management company JLL pointed out that the city's strategic positioning as the gateway to eight northeastern states, combined with world-class educational institutions and a thriving business ecosystem, is attracting unprecedented investor interest across office, retail, and logistics sectors. "Guwahati represents one of India's most compelling real estate investment opportunities today, combining strategic location advantages with transformational infrastructure development and exceptional market fundamentals," said senior managing director, East and Emerging Markets, India, JLL, Surekha Bihani. "The convergence of 80 per cent office stock growth, declining ..
Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is scheduled to arrive here on Friday to pay tribute to singer Zubeen Garg, who died in Singapore last month. Gandhi will visit Garg's resting place at Sonapur, on the outskirts of Guwahati, to offer his respects to him, a Congress leader said. He will also visit the singer's residence to convey his condolences to the bereaved family members, he said. Garg, 52, died in Singapore while swimming in the sea on September 19. He was cremated with state honours on September 23 near Guwahati. The Assam government formed an SIT that is investigating the circumstances that led to his death. Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi had visited the site on Thursday to review the arrangements for Gandhi's visit. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had on Thursday said that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's visit to pay tribute to cultural icon Zubeen Garg was after 28 days of his death, but it is still 'better late than ..
Leading industrialist Gautam Adani and his son Jeet paid a visit to deceased singer-composer Zubeen Garg's house in Assam's Guwahati on Sunday, and paid homage to the state's cultural icon. Adani and his son spent around half-an-hour at Garg's residence in Kahilipara area here, and met his wife Garima Saikia Garg, an official told PTI. The businessman reached the area around 9 pm along with several senior officials of the Adani Group, and paid floral tributes. "Gautam Adani and his son Jeet came to offer their condolences to the icon of Assam. They sat with Garima for some time and expressed grief over the untimely demise of the singer," the official said. Garg died in Singapore on September 19 while swimming in the sea.
The mortal remains of popular singer Zubeen Garg arrived at the airport here on Sunday morning as thousands of fans gathered to welcome the artiste back home one last time. His wife, Garima Saikia Garg, and senior state government officials were at the airport to receive the body. The mortal remains were taken out of the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport through the VIP exit in a flower-bedecked ambulance. Thousands of fans were heard singing his songs and shouting 'Jai Zubeen da' as the convoy navigated through the crowd outside the airport. Wailing, 'Why Zubeen da, why did you have to leave us so soon', they were seen holding cut-outs of the singer and the traditional Assamese 'gamosa' with the words 'Z G (Zubeen Garg) Forever' woven in it. Assam Director General of Police Harmeet Singh and Guwahati Police Commissioner Parthasarathi Mahanta were seen walking in front of the ambulance to clear the way for the vehicle. The singer's favourite vehicle, an open jeep, wh
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) and IIT-Guwahati have collaborated to introduce biodegradable and compostable materials as a replacement for conventional plastic to ensure environmental sustainability, officials said. As a pilot initiative, NFR has introduced eco-friendly green bed-roll bags on its trains, replacing traditional plastic bags used for distributing linen to passengers. Developed at IIT-Guwahati's in-house research and development facility, the bio-plastic degrades in compost within a short time, according to an official release. It was formally rolled out on August 15 with around 40,000 such bags to be distributed across 25 trains originating from terminals in Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh, it said. The initiative not only enhances passenger convenience, but also contributes towards reducing landfill waste, lowering the carbon footprint and conserving natural resources, the release said. The collaboration with IIT-Guwahati, coupled wit
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, have developed an eco-friendly composite material made of 'Bambusa tulda', a fast-growing bamboo species in northeast India, combined with biodegradable polymers, officials said on Thursday. Due to its properties, such as high strength, thermal stability, low moisture absorption and cost effectiveness, the developed composite is a suitable replacement of conventional plastics used in automotive interiors. The findings of this research have been published in the prestigious journal, Environment, Development and Sustainability (Springer Nature). Led by Poonam Kumari, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, the research not only addresses the problem of plastic waste, but also provides a solution to the growing global demand for greener materials, particularly in the automotive manufacturing industry. "The researchers tested four bamboo-based composite formulations consisting of Bambusa tulda fibres reinforced
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Assam on Wednesday, during which they will interact with party functionaries in the state. This will be the first visit of the party's top leaders since Gaurav Gogoi took over as the state president, ahead of next year's assembly election. Kharge and Gandhi are scheduled to attend two meetings, including one at Chaygaon -- about 40 km from Guwahati, during the day-long trip. Gogoi said on Tuesday that the district, block and mandal presidents of the party will be able to present their views before the leadership during the meetings. "The visit reaffirms the Congress party's shared commitment to justice, harmony, and inclusive progress for all," he said in a post on X.
The flood situation in Assam remained grim on Monday with the water levels rising in many parts of the state, officials said. The India Meteorological Department's Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Guwahati has said that moderate rainfall is very likely to occur at most places of Assam, while heavy to very heavy rainfall has been predicted at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall in isolated places. A report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Sunday night said that two more people lost their lives in Cachar and Sribhumi districts, and around four lakh people are reeling under the deluge across 15 districts. The total number of people losing their lives in this year's flood and landslides has increased to 10. Cachar is the worst hit with over one lakh people affected, followed by 85,000 people in Sribhumi and 62,000 in Nagaon, it added. The administration has been operating 155 relief camps and relief distribution centres in 12 districts, taking c
The Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, the only international airport in the Northeastern region, is operational with enhanced security protocols, authorities said on Saturday. It urged passengers to adhere to all security checks and arrive at the airport ahead of time, as they may have to wait longer to complete all the procedures. "The airport is operational. Due to enhanced security protocols, passengers may experience longer waiting times at the airport. We recommend that you plan accordingly and connect with your specific airlines for more information," the Adani Group-controlled airport said in a statement. Issuing a list of Do's and Don'ts for travellers, it asked passengers to arrive well in time, allow time for security checks, and cooperate with security and airport personnel. It urged travellers to follow the Guwahati airport's social media channels for accurate and timely information and reach out to the airlines for precise information. The
State-owned NHAI will develop a 121-km-long Guwahati Ring Road on build-operate-toll mode at a total cost of Rs 5,729 crore, an official statement said on Thursday. The statement further said the concession period of the contract is 30 years, including the construction period of four years. "Providing impetus to the project, the state government of Assam will bear 50 per cent of land cost, provide exemption from royalty on aggregates and state portion of GST contributing about Rs. 1,270 crore," it said, adding that thus, the gross project cost is about Rs 7,000 crore. The Guwahati Ring Road project will have three sections which include 56 km long 4-lane Access-Controlled Northern Guwahati Bypass, widening of the existing 8 km bypass on NH 27 from four lanes to six lanes, and improvement of existing 58 km long bypass on NH 27. Notably, a 3 km long major bridge over river Brahmaputra will also be constructed as a part of the project. The Guwahati Ring Road will provide seamless ...