Amit Shah inaugurates first phase of revamped police academy in Assam's Golaghat

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated the first phase of the revamped police academy at Dergaon in Golaghat district. He also laid the foundation stone for the next phase.

After the inauguration, Shah was apprised of the facilities at the 'Lachit Barphukan Police Academy' by DGP Harmeet Singh. Shah then took a tour of the building, where senior officials also clicked photographs with the home minister.

He was accompanied by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, among others.

Shah arrived in Dergaon on Friday evening for a three-day tour of Assam and Mizoram.

Spread over 340 acres, the academy is being refurbished at an estimated cost of Rs 1,024 crore in two phases, officials said.

The Rs 167.4-crore first phase includes a five-story building housing smart classrooms, weapon stimulator, research labs and administrative offices, among other facilities, besides a museum and a modern parade ground.

“This modern infrastructure is designed to give the trainees both theoretical and practical aspects of police training seamlessly,” an official said.

The weapon training stimulator will help in preparing law enforcement personnel for real-world combat scenarios in a completely safe environment without involving risks, hazards and costs, he said.

The stimulator can be adapted to a number of firearms to impart basic training, hone firing skills and test the skill level of the trainees.

It is aimed at training recruits for special courses as well as in commando training, the official said.

The smart classrooms will feature interactive digital boards and personal computers. The building will also have library, computer labs and seminar rooms.

A museum and a modern parade ground have also been constructed as part of the first phase, the official said.

Housing infrastructure at the academy is proposed to be developed in the second phase at a cost of Rs 425.48 crore.

It will provide residential quarters for 240 families, hostels for 312 officers/personnel and 2,640 trainees, he added.