Tinsukia, Sept. 6: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal today requested Hindustan Unilever Limited to increase its footprints in lower Assam and the Barak Valley.

Inaugurating the HUL's fourth factory at Doomdooma in Tinsukia district of Upper Assam, Sonowal said it would 'open new vistas for industrial growth'.

The new unit, named Rhino, will manufacture personal care products for leading HUL brands such as Fair & Lovely, Pond's and Vaseline. The unit was constructed in a record 300 days at a cost of around Rs 1,000 crore. The company that has been manufacturing in Assam since 2001.

Advocating synergy between government and industry, Sonowal said if one complements the other, it would boost the development of both industry and community.

'The industrial environment in Assam is very conducive and the government is coming up with a promising industrial policy by easing out all procedures, including providing land for industrial units,' he added.

The move is seen as a bid to lure other big giants to Assam.

Unilever's Global CEO Paul Polman said at the inaugural ceremony that the Doomdooma unit was an example of the simultaneous growth of the company in sync with the community and that the HUL would continue to be a 'worthy partner in the economic growth of Assam'.

He announced a donation of Rs 1 crore to the chief minister's relief fund.

HUL CEO Sanjiv Mehta, Dibrugarh MP Rameswar Teli, Lakhimpur MP Pradhan Baruah, Digboi MLA Suren Phukan, Sadiya MLA Bolin Chetia and Tinsukia MLA Sanjay Kisan were also present at the function.

A company release said: 'The company's penetration regarding the business of personal care products is less in Southeast Asia and it provides immense opportunities for growth. The new unit will be a driving force in pursuing that objective.'

Sonowal held discussions with Polman on investment in Assam and the state's geographical advantage which the company could use to capture the market in Southeast Asia. He also brought to the notice of Polman, Dispur's ambitious projects of setting up a World Trade Centre and the State Capital Region, holding proposed global business summit, and the possibility of Jogighopa, a town in Goalpara district, becoming the hub of trade and commerce between India and Bangladesh.