Guwahati: The “Smart City’s Multi-Dimensional Growth

Recently we have seen in the news that Guwahati is one of the 98 cities to be included in the Smart City Plan of the Union Government. The most important question that arises here is how it is going to be helpful for the infrastructural development of the city to attract investors, which in turn will help in the creation of new jobs in Guwahati. Though it is popularly known as the Gateway to Northeast, Guwahati lags behind most other cities of the country in terms of employability and infrastructural growth rate. Since independence, the city’s economy has been mainly dependent on tea, oil and trading industries. But with the advent of the new millennium, for the advancement of a city, it requires more than the presence of such age-old industries. This fact has also been recognised by the central government and lately there have been a slew of measures that will go on to bring Guwahati in mainstream economy of the country.

Guwahati will Become Air Connectivity Hub in Northeast

Turning its focus towards the North East, the government is certainly serious about bringing this long-ignored part of the country into mainstream economy. The latest initiative in this series is a concerted effort to make Guwahati airport an air connectivity hub, which would be done at an estimated investment of around INR 1200 crores. This is a concealed effort to bring in more tourists in this region, and take the current tourism industry towards greater heights.

Mahesh Sharma, the Union Toursim Minister said, “We have taken new initiatives in connectivity because it is crucial for tourism. Work is going on to make Guwahati as a hub for air connectivity for the North Eastern region at an estimated cost of Rs. 1200 crore”. This airport connectivity will complement the already operational Heli hub at Guwahati, being operated by Pawan Hans.

The decision is a signal of government’s stand on Guwahati’s core role in upping the connectivity in the northeast. This also shows the potential that the city holds as a tourism hotspot. With the tourism industry getting a boost, jobs in Guwahati are certainly going to increase. Even international airlines are now mulling over operating direct flights from the city to destinations in their country. Recently, the Thai Airways International Public Company Limited said it was considering starting a direct flight between Thailand and Guwahati. A symbol of the growing prosperity in the city, the Thai Airways decision came after there were more and more people from North East visiting Thailand.

In addition to being a tourism hub, the city has also been chosen amongst 6 Northeastern cities under the Development of Solar Cities Programme of the union ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE).

Already an education hub of the North East

In addition to the very well known IIT ,Guwahati has some other very reputed higher educational institutions, primary of which is the Gauhati Univeristy in Jalukbari. The premier educational institution was set up in 1948, right after India became independent, becoming the first well known educational institute to be setup in the North-East India. The city is also home to the century old Cotton College that also stands out owing to the scholastic value associated with it. Well known is the Guwahati campus of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, which was established in 2010.

With good educational institutions come success stories, such as one where IIT Guwahati graduates team up to create app that makes your car smarter and driving safer using data analytics. The four IIT graduates built CaRPM an app that connects you to your car and lets you know what is possibly wrong with it.

Budding Pharmaceutical Hub of South East Asia

The city could soon emerge as a pharmaceutical hub of South East Asia as the construction of the seventh National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research is going on full swing. Spread across 89 acres, the first phase of construction will be carried out at an estimated cost of INR 160 crores and the entire project would cost around INR550 crores. If we are to believe the Union minister for chemicals and fertilisers, Ananth Kumar, Guwahati could be well on the road to be the first of the 10 proposed ‘Pharma Parks’ that are being envisioned by the Central government. This is definitely good news for budding jobseekers who will gain from the growing industrialization of the city.