Barapani-Panchgram NH in pre-construction stage: Nitin Gadkari

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The proposed 166.7 km long greenfield 4-lane corridor from Barapani (near Shillong) to Panchgram (near Silchar) is currently in the stage of pre-construction activities, including land acquisition and forest clearance.

This was stated by Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari in the Rajya Sabha today in response to a question by TMC MP Sushmita Dev.

MP Sushmita Dev, through an unstarred question, sought to know (a) the current status of the Shillong-Silchar Corridor project, including the total length, sections completed and those under construction; (b) the original and revised timelines for completion of the corridor and the present expected date of completion.

In reply to the question, Union Minister Gadkari stated (a) The existing Shillong-Silchar connectivity via Jowai-Ratacherra-Badarpur runs along National Highway 6 and National Highway 37 for about 241 km and currently has a 2-lane/2-lane with paved shoulders configuration. The government has approved a 166.7 km-long greenfield 4-lane corridor from Barapani (near Shillong) to Panchgram (near Silchar) on April 30, 2025. The project is in the stage of pre-construction activities, including land acquisition and forest clearance; (b) The timelines will be based on the initiation of the bidding process after pre-construction activities reach an advanced stage.

According to National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) sources, the Government of India had earlier approved the proposal for Development, Maintenance and Management of 166.7 km of National Highway 6 from Mawlyngkhung (Barapani near Shillong) in Meghalaya to Panchgram (near Silchar) in Assam on Hybrid Annuity Mode as an access-controlled greenfield High-Speed Corridor at a total capital cost of Rs 22,864 crore. Of the total proposed project length, 144.80 km lies in Meghalaya and 22 km in Assam.

Sources also pointed out that the proposed Greenfield high-speed corridor will improve the service level for the traffic moving from Guwahati to Silchar. The development of this corridor will improve the connectivity to Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and the Barak Valley region of Assam from Guwahati with substantially reduced travel distance and travel time. This will, in turn, contribute to the enhancement of logistics efficiency of the nation.

Also, that the Project Corridor will provide better connectivity to Ri Bhoi, East Khasi Hills, West Jaintia Hills, and East Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya and the Cachar district in Assam. This corridor will cater to the national and international tourists coming from the well-connected Guwahati Airport, Shillong Airport, and Silchar Airport (via existing NH-6) connecting Guwahati to Silchar. This would connect scenic places of tourist attraction in the Northeast and promote tourism.

Also Read: Assam: Jorabat to Barapani NH to be developed into high-speed corridor