Assam cabinet clears doubling of Azara-Kamakhya railway tracks, 4 new polytechnics

Guwahati, Sept 25: The Assam cabinet, on Tuesday evening, approved a slew of projects, including the doubling of railway tracks in the Azara-Kamakhya section via Goalpara and the allocation of Rs 150 crore for the construction of three new polytechnic institutes.

Announcing the decisions, Cabinet Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah told the press that the cabinet sanctioned the allocation of eight bighas of government land for the railway track expansion.

Highlighting the project’s importance in enhancing connectivity between Guwahati city and areas along the southern bank of the Brahmaputra, Baruah informed that the sanctioning has been done in consultations with local.

In a move aimed at boosting technical education in the state, the cabinet sanctioned administrative approval for Rs 150 crore for building polytechnic institutes in Hajo, Majuli, and Tingkhong.

Additionally, the cabinet also addressed staffing concerns in the state's educational institutions, approving the appointment of 451 part-time faculty members in various engineering colleges and polytechnics against regular vacant posts.

Moreover, the cabinet also decided to regularise the appointments of 131 teachers previously made by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) without prior approval from the government or its Finance Department.

"These appointments were made due to the urgent need for teachers. The cabinet has now regularised them provided the candidates meet the basic eligibility criteria, which will be verified by the Hills Area department," Minister Baruah was quoted as saying by a national newswire.

Minister Baruah, however, dropped in a word of caution saying that future appointments should not be made without obtaining the necessary approvals.