PWD road crying for repair in Lakhipur, commuters suffer

Special Correspondent

Silchar, July 7: The bad condition of roads and highways in Barak Valley needs no repetition. In fact, this has been one of the poll planks of the opposition to defeat Congress in the last assembly elections. So irritated was the Governor of Assam, P B Acharya, who travelled by road to Karimganj and Hailakandi from here, besides making a jaunt to the Hmar village of Hmarkhawlien in Lakhipur sub division bordering Manipur that he asked people to take whip in their hands and accost the PWD men with ultimatum to correct the messy order of things.

 The message of Governor was highlighted in the local media which did not evoke any response from the department concerned. Parimal Shuklabaidya, Minister of PWD, Excise and Fisheries, has however assured that after the monsoon, work on roads and highways for their repair and improvement will be taken up. Since then, people have to take in their stride all the strains and stresses of travelling through long stretches of bumpy, muddy and uneven roads.

 Not far from this town is the worst condition of road from Madhura bridge to Kashipur, 3 km from here. This stretch of the road that connects tiol Highway 37 linking the capital of Manipur has so deteriorated that the people in general and vehicular traffic have had the nightmarish experiences. For long 10 km, the road exists only in me. Commuters as well as long distance buses and trucks that move through the road have been crying hoarse for long, but of no avail.

 The PWD personnel on every such occasion have only fed the people with false assurances. From time to time, there have been blockades, protest demonstrations and submission of series of representations to the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar for initiating remedial measures. For a face lift of this portion of the vital connectivity, Rural Education Development Institute of Rongpur in a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal and submitted through the Deputy Commissioner demanded that the zero point of East-West Corridor should be extended from Madhura bridge point to Kashipur and repair of the same on war-footing.

 People of the areas said, “We are waiting how this new government takes up works for its improvement. Our wait will be for 6 months. After that we will have no altertive than to hit the streets with our family members and even squat on the road.” The memorandum signed by Seram Herajit Singha, secretary, Rural Education Development Institute, and S Pariton Singha, general secretary, All Assam Manipuri Students’ Union, Udharbond divisiol committee.

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