Dibrugarh bags ₹493-Cr infrastructure boost; Assam’s biggest stadium in pipeline
CM Sarma also announced Dibrugarh as one of three cities — alongside Guwahati & Jorhat — earmarked to host international concerts;
Guwahati, May 21: Dibrugarh, Assam’s designated second capital, is poised for a transformative facelift with the announcement of two major infrastructural projects totalling Rs 493 crore.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Wednesday, revealed plans to build a new Assembly campus and the state’s largest stadium in the upper Assam district, signalling the government’s intent to accelerate Dibrugarh’s rise as a political and cultural powerhouse.
Speaking to the press after a cabinet meeting in Dergaon, the Chief Minister said the cabinet had cleared an allocation of Rs 284 crore for the construction of a new Assembly campus.
“It will include the main Assembly building, hostels for MLAs, and a 1,000-seat auditorium,” he said.
In what he termed more “good news” for the people of the district, Sarma also announced that the existing Khanikar Stadium would be overhauled into a 35,000-capacity arena — surpassing Guwahati’s Sarusajai Stadium by 10,000 seats — with a dedicated Rs 209 crore investment.
“During one of my visits to Khanikar Stadium, we decided to turn it into Assam’s largest stadium. The stadium will be able to host major sporting events and large-format concerts, making Dibrugarh a sporting and entertainment hub,” the Chief Minister said.
Push for a Concert Economy
In a further bid to diversify the region’s economic prospects, Sarma also announced Dibrugarh as one of three cities — alongside Guwahati and Jorhat — earmarked to host national and international concerts under the cabinet’s newly approved Concert Economy Policy.
Citing a newspaper report that Gujarat earned nearly Rs 600 crore from a recent Coldplay concert, the Chief Minister stressed the potential for high-revenue cultural tourism in Assam.
“We want to compete with Meghalaya in this space. Dibrugarh, with its upgraded infrastructure, will be presented as a viable venue for top international acts,” Sarma said.
As a teaser of things to come, Sarma confirmed that Grammy-nominated American artiste Post Malone is slated to perform in Guwahati on December 8, marking one of the state’s first big-ticket global acts under the new initiative.