784 km of Damaged Highways in Northeast, 215 km in Assam Raise Safety Alarm Ahead of Durga Puja

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Thanks to road development agencies, as many as 784 km of national highways in the Northeast region are in a dilapidated condition, with the highest length of such roads being in Assam. Over the past three years, reports have highlighted the extent of poor or damaged road conditions in the NE. Especially concerning is the fact that the longest stretches of different NHs in such abysmal condition are in Assam, with 215 km of the 784 km of damaged roads in the NE.

Such a turn in the road conditions can be attributed to lack of maintenance by various road development agencies like NHIDCL, NHAI and Assam PWD (NH division). Due to the presence of potholes in several stretches of NHs in Assam, the roads have turned into deathtraps. The recent horrific accident at Khetri in the Kamrup Metro district is one of the prime examples of potholes on NHs turning into deathtraps, as seven people perished on the spot and several more were seriously injured.

According to information available with The Sentinel, the breakup of the 784 km of damaged roads in different states of the NE during 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 is as follows: Arunachal Pradesh 93 km, Assam 215 km, Manipur 66 km, Meghalaya 158 km, Mizoram 126 km, Nagaland 9 km, Sikkim 39 km and Tripura 78 km. In Assam, during the financial year 2023-24, the reported damage on NHs was pegged at 48 km; in 2024-25 it was 85 km, and in 2025-26 it was 82 km.

Roads in the NE, especially Assam, are damaged more during the rainy season. In Assam, the lack of prompt repairs has exacerbated the situation. The horrible experiences faced by travellers are too numerous to mention here.

Naranarayan Setu in Jogighopa is a key bridge over the Brahmaputra for travellers from Assam, Meghalaya, and West Bengal. The bridge is the only route on the south bank of the Brahmaputra for travellers headed out of Assam towards West Bengal and other parts of the country. The approach road to the bridge is in a deplorable state, and even steel rods are exposed as the carpeting layer has disappeared. Any vehicle passing over the potholes is susceptible to accidents. Prompt repairs are necessitated on this stretch of the highway to avert any incident.

Recently, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that damaged portions of roads in the state will be repaired before the Durga Puja.

Only time will reveal whether the roads will be repaired or not, so that people can traverse them with the confidence of a safe journey.

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