Rs 1,824 crore sanctioned for Mahasadak, tender to be floated in December; "Will assess it personally," CM

By barakbulletin On July 15, 2021 - 5:59 pm

The Mahasadak or east-west corridor that connects Silchar to Guwahati via Dima Hasao district remains incomplete. Today, the road was up for discussion at the ongoing session in Assembly. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who is also the Minister of PWD responded to Nandita Galrosa MLA of Haflong located in Dima Hasao district.

“The 49 km portion of the road, from Silchar to Lumding, has been left incomplete due to various technical reasons,” said Sarma. Along with the technical issues, the CM informed, the Central Government had stopped investing in Highways within Assam as they weren’t allowed to install toll gates. In fact, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had stated that all promised investments will also be withdrawn. The letter was sent to the state government about “five years back”.

“We have reviewed the matter internally and decided that we will allow the NHAI to install toll gates in the highways they construct. We have done a study to find that bad road cost the consumers more than what they would spend by paying toll,” informed Sarma. After the state government gave assurance that it has no objection to toll gates, the NHAI has revealed that they’ve secured a loan of Rs 1,824 crores which will be invested in the completion of the pending work of that 49 km stretch of the highway between Silchar and Lumding.

“With this fresh investment, I am sure that the long-awaited Mahasadak connecting the Brahmaputra valley with both Dima Hasao district and Barak Valley will get completed. This will also fulfill the dream of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” said Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Condition of the road: Image credit: Silchar to Saurashtra Mahasadak – Silchar-Lumding Section (FB Page)

The CM stressed the issues and problems faced by commuters traveling from Barak Valley to Guwahati via the usual Jowai-Shillong route, which is often affected by natural calamities like storms or landslides. He said, “There are several portions of the highway where there is a risk of land erosion, landslides, etc. for which the NHAI has decided to construct a 4km-elevated road to protect it from landslides.”

The CM also mentioned that the tender of the project will be floated in December 2021 and as of now, the DPR is being prepared. “I assure the members of this house that I will personally assess the work in progress and review the matter. I will also update the house on the progress in regular intervals,” the CM concluded.