There is a plan to develop Guwahati into a mega city. The Congress Government after coming back to power in Dispur for a second term, immediately convened a meeting of top bureaucrats, experts and leading citizens to expedite the process of preparing the blueprint of a mega city development project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Guwahati is among the cities identified by Delhi for planned development with special focus on efficiency in urban infrastructure and services delivery, community participation and accountability of local government towards citizens. The funding under JNNURM would be in the pattern of 50 : 20 :30 amongst the Centre, the State and financial institutions.

The Guwahati development department will soon work on a recreation cum education centre modeled on the famous Hyde Park of London. The government had already made budgetary allocation of Rs 2 crore for the same. The park will also have a hall of fame, amongst many other attractions. The hall will house statues of he legends of the country. The other big project is that of a ropeway connecting north and south Guwahati over the mighty Brahmaputra. The famous Umananda temple situated on an island will act as a stopover for the ropeway journey. The Umananda temple in itself will get a facelift with an avian park that will give visitors a chance to watch exotic birds from watchtowers. Umananda temple is home to a large number of migratory birds every year.

The Pragjyotishpur of old i.e Guwahati of today is the gateway to the beautiful land of the North-East. In a few months time, if everything goes well, then the city will play host to a huge congregation of sportspersons, officials, and mediapersons drawn from all over he country for the 33rd National Games, later this year. Both the State and the city administration are working hard to make this event a grand success. Their critical appreciation will in a way be vital as it can build up good tourism prospect for not only Guwahati and Assam but for the North-East region as a whole. Guwahati is a fast developing city where rapid modernity is matching strides with the traditional hues of the society. But the big question coming up today is whether all the development taking place is balanced and synchronised. It seems that now the State administration is after all rising to the need of planned growth, even if it has come belatedly, the move is a welcome one.

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