Silchar: The Silchar-Madhuraghat Barak Bridge Demand Committee has demanded the construction of an RCC bridge over the Barak at Ghaniala-Madhuraghat here.
Committee president Kishore Bhattacharjee on Sunday said the construction of a bridge in the area would usher in development for Dudhpatil and neighbouring areas.
"Silchar has expanded from all sides except in the Dudhpatil/Madhuraghat area. Dudhpatil, around 2km from here, has a population of around 60,000. However, the area has not witnessed any development," he said.
"Around 10,000-15,000 people, including students and others, come to Silchar on boats/ferries daily. A bridge will be a connectivity boon for everyone," he said.
He said the committee had taken out a huge rally here on April 12 last year, in support of their demand. A delegation of the committee met chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal in Guwahati on August 25. Sonowal assured them that the demand would be fulfilled and instructed the Cachar administration to take up steps.
Committee vice-president Bikash Chandra Das said residents of Dudhpatil had been clamouring for development for years and a bridge could be the only solution. He said construction of a bridge would help to resolve traffic congestion here.
Committee general secretary Tanmoy Purkayastha said a survey for the bridge construction was conducted by a technical committee recently.
However, the committee, instead of surveying the proposed site (Ghaniala-Madhuraghat area), carried out the survey around 2km-3km away, he said.
Silchar MLA Dilip Kumar Paul told The Telegraph that the site of the bridge is yet to be decided.
He said PWD minister Parimal Suklabaidya was monitoring the process and hoped the matter would reach a proper conclusion soon.