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Chief minister Tarun Gogoi lights the inaugural lamp at the conference in Guwahati on Friday. Picture by UB Photos |
Guwahati, Feb. 22: The Central Road Research Institute has promised to provide all help for the development of road and transport infrastructure in the Northeast.
Speaking at the three-day conference on Road and Transportation Technologies for North East Region that began here today, the institute’s director, Subhamay Gangopadhyay, said the conference would deliberate on the challenges in the development of road and transport infrastructure in the Northeast.
“We will focus on how best infrastructure can be developed for the region, keeping in view the diversified geological condition, topographical characteristics, climatic situations and vegetation type,” he said.
Commissioner and special secretary, PWD (roads), Assam, Mohon Chandra Boro, advocated the need for steel bridges in the region, which is prone to flood, landslide and seismic activity, to ensure connectivity.
He called for an effective mechanism for inspection of 50-year-old bridges. “Retrofitting of bridges for a highly seismic zone like the Northeast is the need of the hour,” he said.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said top priority accorded by the government to this key sector had led to development of roads in Assam in the past 10 years.
“The GDP that was only 2 per cent when we assumed power in 2001 has shot up to 8 per cent following remarkable improvement in the road and transportation sector,” he said.
He called for adopting the latest technology to build quality roads in the region, keeping in view its topography and climate. He also laid importance on using environment-friendly and cost-effective alternative materials for constructing roads.
The conference has been jointly organised by CSIR-Central Road Research Institute, CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat, and the public work departments of all the eight states of the region.
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