A CORRESPONDENT
HAFLONG: For the people of Dima Hasao it seems to be a long wait to get access to proper road communication as the much publicized East-West corridor from Porbandar to Silchar which runs through Dima Hasao is yet to be completed.
Till 1995, the road transport from Haflong to Silchar and Haflong to Diphu was regular. There were as many 10 ASTC services from Haflong but now there is one bus service, perhaps due to the deplorable road condition.
The construction of Mahasadak started long back but now the portions from Nriambunglo to Jatinga, Jatinga to Harangajao and Harangajao to Balachera are yet to be completed. There have been agitations and memoranda submitted demanding immediate completion of these portions but the authority concerned has always remained 'indifferent'. Sometimes the NH authority engages contractors in the name of maintenance of the road but no permanent solution to the demands of the people has materialized.
Though this project was the dream project of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee due to incomplete portion from Nriambunglo to Jatinga, Jatinga to Harangajao and Harangajao to Balachera, this project has become a serious cause of concern.
According to a Press Information Bureau release, Government of India, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways dated July 19, 2018 in regard to four-laning of NH-54 in Assam, the work for four-laning of Balachera- Harangajao section of NH-54 (ext.) in Assam was awarded by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) on 31.10.2017 on EPC mode at a cost of Rs.519.30 crore. The appointed date was declared on 26.12.2017. The physical progress so far is about 1 per cent.
The Jatinga to Harangajao section of NH-54 in Assam got severely damaged by landslide, hill movement, slip failure and sinking. Looking into the gravity of problem, it has been decided to adopt split 4-lane construction (2-lane on new alignment and 2-lane along existing alignment) for the affected section for which M/s RITES Ltd. has been engaged by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for preparation of Detailed Project Report. Maintenance of existing NH is going on. The Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Mansukh L Mandaviya said this in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
The people of Dima Hasao have questioned the NH authority as to how long they will have to wait for completion of the Mahasadak.