Sonowal directs NHIDCL to repair national highways

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH, July 5: “There is a lot of dissatisfaction among the public with regard to the poor condition of the national highway,” said Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at a special meeting held with the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) on Thursday in Dibrugarh.

He further stated that despite Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, issuing orders to NHIDCL to address the sorry state of the national highways in Assam, the body failed to deliver. Sonowal, therefore, in the meeting, ordered the General Manager of NHIDCL, Ajitpal Singh Brar, to address the burning problem and repair the NH in a time-bound and result-oriented manner.

The Chief Minister also called for setting up of units of NHIDCL at different places across the State in order to fill up the potholes as and when they develop, without any delay. Apart from ordering NHIDCL to take up a comprehensive survey of the national highways in the State, Sonowal advised the officials of the body to visit Cambodia, learn the best practices prevalent there with respect to road construction, and apply the same in the road infrastructure of the State.

Singh of NHIDCL informed the Chief Minister that they had started repairing the highway stretch from Thursday itself, and chalked out a plan to finish the entire task as ordered by Sonowal.

The meeting was also attended by MLAs Prashanta Phukan and Binod Hazarika, and senior members of NHIDCL.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Chief Minister’s convoy, en route to Dibrugarh Circuit House from the Dibrugarh Airport on Wednesday, had to halt midway due to the deep potholes on NH-37 in the Chaulkhowa area. Stepping out of his car, Sonowal had immediately summoned the top officials of the PWD and NHIDCL, and asked them to fill the potholes of the Chaulkhowa and Naliapool areas within the next 30 hours.