CM Sarma reviews London waterfront for ideas to upgrade Guwahati riverfront

Guwahati, Nov 17: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, currently on a two-day visit to London, visited the city’s waterfront to study global best practices that could help enhance Guwahati’s riverfront infrastructure and beautification efforts.The visit comes shortly after the inauguration of the Brahmaputra Riverfront–Sati Radhika Shaanti Udyan, on November 7 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. “On my first day in London I visited the city’s waterfront. We are transforming Guwahati’s riverfront and are in the process of borrowing some of the global best practices. In between, I also met our hardworking diaspora and interacted with them,” Sarma wrote on his social media handle. Guwahati currently has three major riverfront parks — the Brahmaputra River Heritage Centre, the Brahmaputra Riverfront, and the newly inaugurated Sati Radhika Shaanti Udyan. Developed at Uzanbazar at a cost of Rs 327 crore, the Brahmaputra Riverfront–Sati Radhika Shaanti Udyan re-imagines the riverfront experience over a 1.2 km stretch from the New DC Bungalow to Kachari Ghat. The urban park features a 15-metre-wide boulevard, landscaped walkways, cycling tracks, open gyms, children’s play areas and Assamese-themed gateways, blending leisure, culture and environmental sustainability. Sarma’s London visit also comes close on the heels of the announcement to bring back the Vrindavani Vastra to Assam for six months. “Tomorrow is a big day for Assam & Bharat. We are signing a MoU with the British Museum so that the sacred Vrindavani Vastra can be brought back home under a loaning arrangement. Vikas and Virasat continue to be pillars of our governance agenda,” he wrote. The Chief Minister began his trip on Saturday, with the primary objective of facilitating the temporary return of the 16th-century Vrindavani Vastra, a priceless silk textile created under the guidance of the revered saint Srimanta Sankardeva. A dedicated museum is being planned in Khanapara, which is expected to serve as a secure, climate-controlled facility for the display and preservation of the centuries-old textile.On my first day in London I visited the city’s waterfront. We are transforming Guwhati’s riverfront and are in the process of borrowing some of the global best practices. In between, I also met our hardworking diaspora and interacted with them. pic.twitter.com/RWRoUaZvNb— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 16, 2025