National High-Woes

Several portions of different national highways in Assam have increasingly become deathtraps rather than roads for better and safer vehicular movement. The media often report about mishaps on various national highways, with poor condition of the roads being identified as the major reason for such incidents. As has been highlighted from time to time by this newspaper, the condition of most of the national highways across Assam is pathetic. Several vital stretches of the National Highways, like the Dhemaji-Bogibeel stretch, the Nagaon-Amoni stretch, the Sonapur-Raha stretch, the Guwahati-Silchar stretch through Meghalaya, and the entire National Highway in Lakhimpur district, are in deplorable condition. About the Jorhat-Sivasagar and Sivasagar-Dibrugarh stretches of the National Highway, the less said the better. Central projects as these are, it is also for the central government to keep itself updated, be it the progress of construction, the quality of construction, or maintenance of the completed portions. A recent revelation made by the authorities concerned while responding to an RTI query shows that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has collected quite a handsome amount of Rs 452 crore from vehicles at different toll gates across Assam during 2023. According to rules, NHAI uses toll tax revenue for road construction, maintenance, and other related purposes. But there are serious allegations that NHAI has not only failed to build quality roads in Assam but has also failed to maintain a proper upkeep and maintenance of those stretches of the National Highways that have been declared complete. As has been reported, the very purpose of toll collection to cover some or all of the cost for construction, operation, and maintenance of roads, bridges, etc. has remained unfulfilled in Assam. According to rules, every tollgate should have some basic amenities like a rest area, a fuel station, emergency services, clean toilets, Wi-Fi access, an information centre, etc. Moreover, National Highways should have trauma centres at an interval of around 100 km or so in order to provide round-the-clock medical services to people injured in accidents. This facility is almost zero in Assam. But any layperson in Assam will testify that most of these amenities are nonexistent in Assam. Citizens feel that the state government too has a role to play by way of exerting pressure on NHAI and the Ministry of Highways, etc. Simultaneously, it is also a responsibility of the elected representatives of the state—the hon’ble MLAs and hon’ble MPs—to raise their voice at the respective for on behalf of the lakhs of people who have elected them. At the same time, citizens too can play an important role by way of highlighting the horrible status of the National Highways by making good use of social media as well as the facility of writing directly to the Prime Minister and President of India.