Public Meeting on Silchar Elevated Corridor Sees Mixed Reactions from Residents, Traders

A public meeting organised by the District Administration, Cachar, on Wednesday (November 19) drew strong participation from residents, traders, landholders and civil society groups, as discussions centred on the proposed Elevated Corridor Project from Capital Point to Rangirkhari Point in Silchar. The meeting was held at Banga Bhawan and aimed to gather public opinion before finalising the land acquisition and implementation process. The meeting was chaired by Minister Kaushik Rai, along with MP Parimal Suklabaidya, MP (Rajya Sabha) Kanad Purkayastha, Silchar MLA Dipayan Chakraborty, District Commissioner Mridul Yadav, and other officials involved in the project were also present.

The event began with a detailed video presentation of the project corridor, where the department detailed that the project will begin from the intersection of CR Avenue and will end near the AIR Silchar centre on NH37. The total length of the flyover will be 3.462 KM, and a 5.5 m wide service road on both sides will be 6.924 KM long in total.

The Land Acquisition Branch informed that surveys had already been carried out early in the morning hours to avoid traffic congestion and that the total land requirement had been calculated. Officials said land had been classified as residential and commercial, with compensation to be paid accordingly. The estimated land cost stands at 78.50 crore rupees, while ziraat compensation amounts to 61.73 crore rupees. Total Rs. 138.42 crores will be spent on land acquisition.

Contractor Binod Singhvi stated that construction would begin from Rangirkhari and work would be carried out at night after 10 pm. Barricades will be erected for the foundation work, so that the traffic can move freely beyond these barricades.

During the meeting, many traders and residents expressed apprehensions about the impact on Silchar’s century-old commercial areas. Several urged the administration to explore alternative routes before proceeding.

Businessman Kaushik Dutta said the areas between Park Road Junction and Rangirkhari, including Hospital Road and the 125-year-old Central Road market, would be severely affected if pillars were erected in the middle of the road, arguing that road widening and proper lane separation for slow and fast vehicles could be considered instead of an elevated corridor.

Representatives of Nagarika Sartha Suraksha Committee and Central Silchar Traders Association echoed similar concerns and suggested alternative alignments through Shillongpatty, Park Road or via Jail Road and the police parade ground, noting that government land is available in those areas. They stressed that while a flyover is needed, it should not come at the cost of livelihoods. Some participants also pointed out that the stretch from Ukilpatty to Nahata Point is the narrowest and businesses there would be hit the hardest, with petitioners warning of rising unemployment if the corridor cuts into the commercial belt.

A contrasting view came from a former PWD engineer, who said elevated corridors across Guwahati have been beneficial and insisted that the construction would not block the functioning of the road below. He urged the public to support the project so that sanctioned funds are not withdrawn.

Several residents shared personal testimonies. Pijush Kanti Deb said seven feet of his Premtola property would be taken, while others feared pillars might block shop entrances. Debasish Swami suggested prioritising a ring road to ease town traffic without altering heritage markets. Some, like Biswajit Paul, blamed congestion on tuk-tuks and proposed a pilot project first. Others, including Hirok Choudhury, supported the corridor, saying it could increase footfall and boost business.

Minister Kaushik Rai and public representatives listened to the concerns and assured that all views would be examined. The administration reiterated its commitment to transparency and public participation before the final decision.

Rai addressed the concerns raised by residents during the event. He said the double pillar system, known as the girder frame, was supposed to be used. The stretch from Rangirkhari to Premtola will have a single pillar design, and the double pillar structure is expected to come after that. However, he mentioned that they have already discussed with the PWD and the project consultants to examine whether the entire flyover can be built with a single pillar model. According to him, this option could help “ease the concerns of local traders who fear that the flyover might affect their businesses”.

He added that they are planning to include four additional landings in the design so that people from more areas can use the flyover. This will be taken up in future phases of the project. The proposed landings are at Sonai Road, Lochan Bairagi Road, Ambicapatty and Itkhola Road. He said the flyover is meant to serve the people of Silchar and that if adding four more landings can benefit them further, the government will move forward with the plan.

He further addressed several other points and explained the plans one by one. He spoke about the alignment and said the Chief Minister had discussed the possibility of an alternative route. However, after assessment, the other routes were found to be unfeasible, and the present alignment was identified as the most suitable option.

The meeting was held amid growing concerns from Silchar’s commercial community, who recently appealed for the corridor alignment to be changed to prevent large-scale disruption in business activity.