Kalita releases a booklet in Guwahati on Monday. Picture by Biju Boro

Guwahati, July 28: Assam’s capital city will soon have its very own Pragati Maidan to host the exhibitions and trade events that have become a part of its calendar.

The permanent exhibition ground will be set up on a sprawling 50 bighas of land near the Balaji temple on the outskirts of the city within a year. The cost of this project has been estimated at Rs 12 crore, of which 75 per cent would be borne by the Centre and the rest by the state government.

State industry minister Bhubaneswar Kalita disclosed today that the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), which had set up the Pragati Maidan in Delhi, has been entrusted with the responsibility of executing this ambitious project. The state government has purchased the required land and preliminary work of land development has started, he added.

The minister said that tender for the turn-key project has been floated and big players like Larson & Toubro and Gammon have submitted their bids.

Kalita revealed about this project while releasing an investor’s guide titled “Enterprising Assam” published by the department of industries and commerce. Apart from highlighting the initiatives taken by the department to promote trade and commerce in the state, the investor’s guide contains information on incentives offered to investors, both foreign and domestic, for setting up industries in the state.

Kalita also said a liquefied natural gas plant, being set up by a California-based Assamese NRI in collaboration with the Assam Gas Company at Duliajan, is all set to be commissioned from September. This will be first foreign direct investment in the state, he added.