Congress on warpath, to block highways

BY Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Aug 21: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) will block highways in the State on Monday, to register its protest against the alleged iction of the Central government in undertaking construction and repair works in the bad stretches of the highways, which had been handed over to the tiol Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).

APCC president Anjan Dutta said the blockade will be staged for an hour from 11 am at 26 places along the five highways transferred to the NHIDCL.

The State government had handed over stretches of tiol Highways No 37, 37A, 52 and 53 to the tiol Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) as per policy decision of the Central ministry.

"The corporation has neither taken up construction activities nor undertaken maintence work, leaving the State in the lurch. It appears to be a conspiracy of the Central government," Dutta said.

He said if repair works are not undertaken immediately, in three to four months time, the stretches will become unmotorable.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had on Saturday shot off a letter to Union minister for road transport, highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari asking him to either take steps to undertake construction and repair of tiol highways in the state or hand over the responsibility to the state PWD for their maintence.