Assembly: Silchar needs encroachment eviction drives or flyover, road extension not possible

Back in 2019, a proposed flyover project in Silchar connecting Premtola with Rangirkhari was initiated by a delegation led by Silchar MP Dr. Rajdeep Roy. Two years down the line, that project is yet to see the light of day. Yesterday, Sonai MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya raised the question of this pending flyover project in Silchar, to which the PWD Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma via Parliamentary Minister Pijush Hazarika responded that the proposed flyover project in Silchar is not feasible after preliminary measurements of the sites were done.

Talking on this issue, AIUDF MLA from Bankachar constituency Aminul Islam, also stressed the importance of a flyover in Silchar. He said, “Silchar is the second-largest city in Assam, and is also safe to say the main headquarter of the entire Barak Valley region. The road connecting Premtola with Rangirkhari leads to many important institutions like the Silchar Medical College & Hospital (SMCH), National Institute of Technology, Silchar (NIT), Silchar Polytechnic, Assam University, Silchar, ASTC Office near Link road, and many others. Hence, this route is the busiest one in the city and due to improper planning, it often stays traffic jam-ridden during working hours. Also, the neighbouring states of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland don’t possess such state medical colleges, so people from those states also come to Silchar for better treatment. The stretch of 2.5 km from Premtola to Meherpur sometimes takes 2-3 hours to traverse, which is a huge hurdle for the common people, and the road has also witnessed many accidents in the past as well. I’d like to stress on the point that a flyover would go a long way to prevent those issues and also make communication in the entire region better.”

Silchar MLA Dipayan Chakraborty was also present there who aired similar sentiments. He said, “It has been discovered during the planning stage of the proposed flyover that over the years during the previous Congress government, many people have gradually encroached upon government land for which the roads in Silchar have narrowed down. There are many sites in the city where shops and businesses have been set up either over the drain or beyond its border. In my opinion, I think unless the encroachment issue is sorted out and eviction is done, the road condition and the communication system of the city won’t improve.”

Borkhola MLA Misbahul Islam Laskar also asked about what could be done to improve the road condition of the city and appealed for a flyover in the city to reduce the traffic issues that have been plaguing the city for decades now.

In reply, Cabinet Minister Pijush Hazarika said that although the PWD Ministry has already provided a report saying that the proposed flyover construction is not feasible based on preliminary measurements, he also admits that Silchar is in dire need of a flyover. “I do understand that a place like Silchar needs a flyover as the roads there are quite narrow and often face traffic issues. But to mitigate that issue, first, we have to acknowledge the issue of encroachment in various parts of that route. Without evicting those establishments which have been illegally occupying government land for years, construction cannot begin. But also, it would be unfair to suddenly evict those establishments as they’ve been there for years now, we have to take into account the humanitarian aspect also,” said Cabinet Minister Pijush Hazarika.

He also asserted that to solve issues like encroachment, political will is absolutely necessary. “Although the feasibility reports said that it is not possible to construct a flyover as of now, I’d still go through that report once again and my ministry will work to see if there’s any other way we could solve this issue, and for that, I’d like the cooperation of all the legislators present here”, said Mr. Hazarika in reply to the queries.