On 2008 blasts anniversary, Himanta heads to Dima Hasao for cement unit

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma travelled to Dima Hasao on Friday, October 30, to perform the Bhumi Pujan (groundbreaking ceremony) for a cement manufacturing unit worth Rs 1,800 crore, and deliberately linked the event to the 18th anniversary of the 2008 serial bomb blasts.

Announcing the trip on X, Sarma said he was heading to the hill district after chairing review meetings until 1.30 am. He captioned his post: "30 October- Same date but two different eras. A new Assam has risen."

Why October 30 matters

On October 30, 2008, nine near-simultaneous explosions hit crowded markets and public places in Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Barpeta Road and Bongaigaon. The blasts killed 88 people and injured around 540, and remain the deadliest terror attack in the state's history.

Earlier on Friday, Sarma paid tribute to the victims, calling the attacks one of the darkest chapters in Assam's history and vowing that the state would never return to those days.

In his post on the cement project, he described the investment, along with other projects coming up in the state, as a tribute to those killed in 2008. He said Assam would no longer be held hostage to violence and dharnas.

The project

The unit is planned in Dima Hasao, a Sixth Schedule hill district governed by its own autonomous council. The government has projected the Rs 1,800-crore investment as a sign of industrial growth reaching a district long associated with insurgency and poor connectivity.

The Chief Minister's posts did not name the company behind the plant, its production capacity or the exact site, and no official project details had been released at the time of writing.

Concerns on the ground

The investment comes amid a continuing debate in Dima Hasao. Local community members, civil society representatives and environmental observers have raised questions about land use and ecological safeguards for large industrial projects in the hill district, which lies along the forested Barail range.

The bigger picture

Sarma's government has been pushing a series of big-ticket investments across Assam, from semiconductors to hospitality, and has repeatedly framed them as proof that the state has moved on from the decades of conflict that shaped its image.

The October 30 anniversary was also marked across the state with tributes to the victims. NEInsider will add details of the cement unit, including the investor and expected jobs, once they are officially announced.