Even as the year 2008 draws to a close, for the two ambitious centre sponsored projects in Assam – the 'East West Corridor Project' and 'Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar Gauge Conversion Project,' it's just another passing year; as completion still remains elusive and progress rates very slow due to militancy.
Sanctioned way back in 1996-97, the progress of Lumding-Badarpur gauge conversion project, which holds back development in Barak Valley region of Assam as well in Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, has been very tardy due to militancy by a breakaway faction of Dima Halom Daoga, which calls itself as 'Black Widow'.
The progress rate of the corridor project, started during the time of previous NDA government, is also sluggish and far from satisfactory in the state. The East-West Corridor Project will connect Silchar in Barak Valley in Assam with Porbandar in Gujarat.
Both the projects have hit a roadblock in the militancy infested North Cachar Hills district. Heightened militancy in the area had even led to complete suspension of train service and work at sites for both the projects for sometime this year. Sources admit that the companies which had won contracts to implement the highway project are unwilling to work as workers and engineers have been specifically targeted by militants in the recent times. The situation is also similar in the case of the railway project. Official sources from the railways said that the target date of gauge conversion has now been fixed as March 2012. Railways blame the state government for the slow pace of work at the site as it does not provide adequate security in the site.
"If the state government cannot provide security to the workers and engineers at the construction site, we have nothing to do. We have always been demanding a full proof security at sites so that we can complete the works as soon as possible," said a senior official.
Nevertheless, he said that the railway is hopeful to complete it by 2012.
He said that apart from Lumding-Badarpur gauge conversion, Rangiya-Murkokselk gauge conversion has also been fixed as March 2012 and the newly laid Kumarghat-Agartala meter gauge line will be soon converted to broad gauge once the Lumding-Badarpur-Kumarghat stretch is completed.
Regarding the East-West Corridor Project, sources admit that till now the overall progress of the project in Assam has been just 20 per cent. Militancy in project areas has been cited as the reason for affecting project work.
The target date for the completion of the project has now been kept as September 2010.
