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With many of the National Highways (NHs) in Assam in a poor condition, state’s chief minister Tarun Gogoi has asked Union road transport and highways minister, Nitin Gadkari, to take immediate measures to repair them. He also asked the Union ministry to either undertake construction and maintenance works of these NHs in Assam immediate or effect change in policy decision and hand over the responsibility to state government for their maintenance.
“I urge upon Union minister Gadkari to instruct NHIDCL to take immediate remedial measures failing which the ministry should revert to its earlier policy and allow us to develop and maintain our stretches of highways”, said Gogoi in a letter to the Union ministry.
Gogoi said as per the policy decision of the Union ministry; though state PWD (public works department) handed over stretches of the National highways No 37, 37A, 52 and 53 to the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), the Corporation has neither taken up the construction activities nor undertaken maintenance work “leaving the state in the lurch”.
NHIDCL was created for creation and management of infrastructure “of the highest standards” in the country with special focus on the Northeast and border areas. As per the policy decision of the ministry of road transport and highways, state PWD has already handed over the stretches of NH-37 from Numaligarh to Dibrugarh and form Nagaon to Kaliabor, NH-37A from Kaliabor to Dolabari, NH-52 Dolabari to Holongi to Honongi via Gohpur and NH-53 Panchgram area in Barak Valley and Silchar ISBT to NHIDCL for their construction and maintenance. “However, NHIDCL so far has not taken any interest either in construction or maintenance of the highways”, Gogoi added.
Gogoi said: “Situation in some of these highways has become so bad that some stretches have turned into virtual craters. In fact, the conditions of these roads have led to resentment amongst local people and the demand for their maintenance is growing and intensifying.”
Further, Gogoi said that though Rs 218 crore was sanctioned in November 2014 for maintenance of NH-44, the life line of Barak Valley and link to states of Tripura and Mizoram, work has not been allotted till today. The mega block imposed by Northeast Frontier (NF) Railway for gauge conversion work (between Lumding and Silchar) and the resultant huge traffic load on NH-44, it has become almost impossible to maintain the highway under normal repair fund, said Gogoi.
Also, no work has yet been allotted for a vulnerable stretch near Bandeerdewa on NH-52 despite Rs 55 crore being sanctioned in December 2014.
