Guwahati: Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan on Monday unveiled infrastructure projects worth over Rs 1,000 crore in Meghalaya and Rs 110 crore at Gauhati University in Assam.In Meghalaya, he laid the foundation stones for five projects worth Rs 1,010.95 crore, including Phase II, Part A, of the New Shillong Water Supply Scheme, estimated at Rs 850.58 crore.The other projects include two road-connectivity projects under NESIDS, a 30-bed AYUSH facility at Shillong Civil Hospital and a 132/33-kV substation at Mawkhanu under PM-DevINE.He inaugurated the Rs 31.05-crore Maternity and Children’s Hospital at Nongstoin, built under the National Health Mission. The projects are expected to strengthen Meghalaya’s water supply, connectivity, healthcare and power infrastructure.At a reception at Soso Tham Auditorium in Shillong, Radhakrishnan stressed the need to improve connectivity in the northeast. He said more than 46,000 km of rural roads were built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in the region over the past decade at a cost exceeding Rs 47,000 crore. He also praised Meghalaya’s reform-linked memorandum of understanding under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0.Radhakrishnan earlier laid the foundation stones for Rs 110-crore infrastructure projects at Gauhati University. The projects include a multidisciplinary academic building, a boys’ hostel, an international students’ hostel and works related to the auditorium and library.Addressing students, he said, “The choices we make today, our discipline and our values shape the person we become tomorrow.”University authorities said the project would expand the university’s academic infrastructure. Assam cabinet earlier approved it as the first phase of infrastructure development at the university.Radhakrishnan highlighted Gauhati University’s role as the first university in the northeast. Founded on Jan 26, 1948, after a public movement led by leaders including Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi, the university has since emerged as a centre of higher education in the region, Vice-President said.He also referred to its NAAC A+ accreditation and ninth position among state public universities in the NIRF 2025 rankings.Radhakrishnan praised the university’s efforts to promote linguistic and cultural exchanges, including between Assamese and Tamil.“Since its inception, Gauhati University has earned recognition across the world through the scholarship and academic contributions of several eminent scholars,” he said.He also congratulated CM Conrad K Sangma, his council of ministers and the people of Meghalaya on the state’s development.
