Silchar: The Balacherra to Harangajao stretch of the East-West corridor, which has been in a shambles for years, will be motorable after this winter, Assam excise and fisheries minister Parimal Suklabaidya said here on Monday.
The East-West corridor project to connect south Assam's Silchar with Saurashtra in Gujarat was announced by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on October 10, 1998. The 3,300km Silchar-Saurashtra road was supposed to be completed by 2007.
Suklabaidya said he had inspected the stretch from Balacherra to Harangajao a few days ago and interacted with officials of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), which is in charge of the project.
The NHIDCL is a company of the Union ministry of road transport and highways.
Suklabaidya, the only minister from Barak Valley, and also the former Assam PWD minister, said the repairs of the stretch is under way. However, inclement weather and frequent landslides hinder the process a lot. The officials have said the stretch will be somewhat motorable in the next 15 days, and it will take a working season to make the route perfectly commutable, he said.
He said an order would be issued soon, allowing the movement of only 10-wheel vehicles through the stretch. Vehicles having more than 10 wheels will not be permitted to ply through until further orders, he added.
Sources said the Balacherra-Harangajao stretch, around 31km long, has been in a dilapidated condition over the past many years. The situation worsens during the monsoon as the road, which is dotted with deep-pits and craters, becomes extremely risky for vehicular movement.
The condition of the road has deteriorated further owing to the plying of heavy vehicles. Locals alleged that a large number of dumper trucks loaded with stones ply through the stretch on a daily basis. The vehicles often get stuck causing traffic snarls which continue for hours, the residents said.
The road between Balacherra and Harangajao is in a shambles in many places, including Balacherra, Durbintilla and Devinala among others.
Cachar deputy commissioner S. Lakshmanan, who was present with Suklabaidya during the inspection, said the stretch from Balacherra and Harangajao is a landslide-prone zone and regular landslides affect connectivity.
He admitted that the stretch was in a terrible condition, citing the geomorphic problems.
Work like cutting of hills and levelling/flattening of road is being done. The work of a new road as well as the maintenance of the existing done is on, he added.
Sources said the road from Balacherra to Harangajao would be a four-lane route. Three bridges, three tunnels and many bridges would be built as part of the project.
The foundation stone for the East-West corridor project had been laid by then minister for surface transport B.C. Khanduri and Union finance minister Jaswant Singh in 2004.
