The four-laning of a 41km-long stretch of NH27 — the principal highway that connects the entire Northeast with the rest of the country — will commence in Alipurduar district from next month, that is, after the general elections are over.
The work will resume after a gap of two years.
The Centre has sanctioned ₹800 crores for the project.
“The four-laning work of the Falakata-Salsalabari stretch of NH27 will commence soon after the elections are over. Funds have been sanctioned and we expect the work to complete soon,” said Sanjeev Sharma, the project director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) based in Siliguri.
In 2019, work commenced along the stretch. However, in 2022, the construction company assigned the work left the project for various reasons.
“The NHAI then floated the tender again and a new agency was selected,” said a source.
The announcement has come as a major relief for the residents of Alipurduar and Falakata — located 40km apart — and others who move along the route.
This is because the road between Falakata and Alipurduar is extremely narrow.
Also, there are three weak wooden bridges on three streams along the routes where vehicles have to move in a single flank.
“During monsoons, the situation worsens as these bridges get badly damaged. Diversions are created, but because of incessant rainfall, water starts flowing over diversions and we have to take turnaround routes via Pundibari (of Cooch Behar) to reach Alipurduar from Falakata and vice-versa,” said Prasenjit Dey, the secretary of the Alipurduar Chamber of Commerce.
“Once the four-laning is done, this problem of connectivity will be over,” he added.
NH27, which connects Porbandar of Gujarat with Silchar of Assam, moves via north Bengal.
“After the four-laning in Falakata-Salsalabari stretch is done, work on the Dhupguri-Falakata stretch will commence,” said an NHAI source.
From Salsalabari, the highway heads towards Assam via Barobisha and Pakhriguri.
A trader based in Falakata mentioned that four-laning of the stretch will reduce the travel time between Bengal and Assam.
“Also, it would take less time to reach Siliguri from different parts of eastern Dooars,” he said.