Silchar, Sept. 14: This 173-year-old town in south Assam is poised for a facelift. The Congress-run Silchar Municipal Board has announced a slew of projects, to be bankrolled by the Centre and a Union government undertaking, to upgrade the utilities and spruce up the beauty spots of the burgeoning town.

Bithika Dev, chairperson of the municipal board, said the projects will be executed phasewise and in a time-bound manner.

The development scheme will concentrate on more than mere cosmetic changes, though beautification, too, will form part of the efforts to give the city an image makeover.

The primary areas of focus are overhauling the streetlight system and laying a modern drainage structure to tackle waterlogging during the monsoon.

The overall beauty package also includes restoring the region?s oldest park, Gandhi Park, in downtown Silchar to its original verdant glory.

The chairperson disclosed that Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) had agreed to supply and install nearly 2,000 streetlights in the town. She added that BHEL would foot the entire Rs 38-lakh bill for the installation.

Dev also disclosed that the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) had been asked by the Union urban development ministry to draw up a detailed project report (DPR) for laying a modern underground drainage network spread over 100 square km.

The age-old sewer system currently in place is inadequate to drain the excess water during a smart shower, let alone the heavy monsoon rains.

This new drainage network will cost the central exchequer Rs 100 crore. It will be the first such project in the Northeast to be undertaken by Delhi.

As for beautifying the town, the Union tourism ministry has agreed to grant Rs 1.48 crore to build a promenade along the bank of the Barak river and spruce up Gandhi Park, the town?s favourite open space.

While the paved promenade will be ringed by flower beds and ornamental seats, the municipality will develop the 50 bigha spread of the Gandhi Park. A meandering lake will be constructed at the park and there will be boating facilities available for visitors.