GUWAHATI, April 10 � The All Assam Students� Union (AASU) today alleged that the Assam Government was primarily responsible for the slow progress of construction of four-lane highway in the State. The students� body has called upon the Centre to take initiative to expedite the progress of work and demanded that the national highways including Baihata to Jonai, Nagaon to Jairampur and Sagolia to Guwahati via Jogighopa should also be converted into four-lane highways.
Addressing a press conference here today, AASU office-bearers said that they discussed the issue with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Kamal Nath on March 17 and with a delegation of senior officials of the Ministry yesterday. During the course of the discussions, the AASU came to know that the Assam Government was primarily responsible for the slow pace of work as slow progress of land acquisition was one of the main reasons for the delay. They alleged that the State Government even failed to take initiative for shifting the electricity polls on time, which also slowed down the progress. However, the team of Ministry officials assured the AASU yesterday that steps would be taken to expedite the construction of the four-lane highway and quality of work would be ensured.
AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya said that at a time when even eight-lane highways were being constructed in some states of the country including Gujarat, the people of Assam were forced to fight for construction of four-lane highways. He said that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi failed to play his part in forcing the Centre to take up new road projects in Assam and in ensuring that the implementation of the existing projects were expedited. He pointed out that the rate of road accidents in Assam was much higher than in some other states of the country because of the road condition and only construction of four-lane highways connecting all parts of the state would reduce the number of accidents.
Meanwhile, in a memorandum to the Ministry team headed by BN Singh, Member, Project, of the NHAI, the AASU demanded that the highways connecting Baihata Chariali to Jonai should be transformed into a four-lane highway, which would also improve connectivity to Arunachal Pradesh. The memorandum said that the project to construct a four-lane highway between Nagaon and Numaligarh should be worked out carefully as the stretch passes through Kaziranga National Park and the possibility of connecting Nagaon and Numaligarh touching Karbi Anglong should be explored.
The AASU appreciated the decision to construct a bridge over the river Brahmaputra connecting Gohpur and Numaligarh and demanded that the construction of the bridge should be started without further delay. The memorandum said that a four-lane highway should be constructed between Nagaon and Dimapur via Manja in Karbi Anglong.
The memorandum further said that the junction at Jalukbari should be made an obstruction free zone as at present, the narrow stretch cannot serve as the entry point to the North East properly. The memorandum also said that the Government should plant trees on both sides of the highways.
AASU president Sankar Prasad Roy said that the Central team, apart from assuring the AASU to expedite the process of construction of four-lane highways, also said that the demands of the student body for new projects would be taken up with the Union Minister immediately.
