Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) submitted before the Gauhati High Court that more than 80% of the work has been completed in the delayed Silchar-Harangajao-Haflong stretch of the East-West Corridor, and there is every possibility of NHAI meeting the deadline of January 2026 for completion of this stretch of the upcoming national highway.
The vision behind the ambitious National Highways Development Project corridor is to foster socio-economic growth by providing reliable, modern road connectivity in Southern Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, etc.
The deadline of January 2026 was stated by NHAI before the bench of Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury during the instant hearing in a suo moto public interest litigation (PIL) case (PIL(Suo Moto)/1/2023). The PIL was initiated regarding the prolonged delays in completing a critical section of India’s East-West Corridor, specifically the Silchar-Harangajao-Haflong stretch. This highway project, part of the ambitious National Highways Development Project, overseen by the National Highways Authority of India under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Government of India, was launched in 1999 with the goal of bridging the infrastructural gap between Northeast India and the rest of the country.
The vision behind the corridor was to foster socio-economic growth in one of India’s most underdeveloped regions by providing reliable, modern road connectivity which would facilitate traffic in Southern Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, etc., and would serve as a vital alternative route to Guwahati and mainland India, reducing dependency on the fragile and often disrupted National Highway No. 6 and the Badarpur-Lumding railway line, which is often blocked by landslips.
An earlier affidavit filed in the month of July 2025 by the NHAI Project Director, Project Implementation Unit (PIU), Haflong, indicated that 61% of the work has been completed. The affidavit incorporated phase-wise work progress with respect to major works, road works, culverts, minor bridges, major bridges, road over bridge (ROB) / road under bridge (RUB), elevated structures, etc. under the project.
The NHAI Project Director stated at the time the affidavit was filed that the two-lane road for connectivity had not been completed because of weather conditions, difficult terrain and some of the structural challenges.
However, it is now expected that the project will be completed by January 2026. Baruah, the advocate for the NHAI, submitted in the instant hearing that he has received fresh instructions that more than 80% of the work has been completed and there is every possibility of the NHAI meeting the timeline of January 2026 for completing the two-lane road connectivity project, specifically the Silchar-Harangajao-Haflong stretch.
It was also submitted by NHAI that the entire work is expected to be finished by July 2026. The bench then directed Baruah to put the aforenoted instructions on record by way of an affidavit and also intimate to the court regarding the current/updated progress report of the work by the next date of February 16, 2026.
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