A Correspondent
SILCHAR: The fate of the much-awaited flyover in Silchar seemed to hang in uncertainty as Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that until the people of the city arrived at a consensus, the work would not begin.
Speaking to the media after laying the foundation stone for an Rs 80-crore bridge over the Barak River at Gandhighat in Silchar on Sunday morning, the Chief Minister said that he would discuss with those persons who had been opposing the flyover. He admitted that the construction of a flyover in a city always creates massive traffic congestion, at least for two years. "We have seen that people in the initial stage welcome and support the proposal for a flyover, but once the work begins and they face problems in movement, the same people start criticising the government, and again when the flyover is ready, they jump to take selfies," the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister did not wish to engage himself in any controversy. "I have asked the District Commissioner to table a report on the public opinion on the flyover issue. If the report suggests that the majority of the people are in favour of the project, we will start the work from next month," he said. Sarma said that the design for the flyover was ready, the fund was ready, the contract had been awarded to the construction company, and hence it was the people of Silchar to decide whether they were ready to face two years of traffic problems for a better future.
The Chief Minister wrapped up his two-day Barak Valley visit with the MMUA cheque distribution programme in Udharbond.
Speaking with the mediapersons, he said that the BJP would win ten seats in the Barak Valley and the other three would go to the Miyans. "Local Muslims of the Barak Valley love me the most, as evident from our victory in Karimganj in the last Lok Sabha election. But the Miyans always favour the party that practises appeasement politics," Sarma said.
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