NEW DELHI, July 26 - Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari today agreed to release Rs 200 crore initially for repairing the national highways in Assam which are in bad shape after Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal rushed to the Union ministry with an SOS call.
Accompanied by Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain, Lok Sabha MPs RP Sharma, Ramen Deka, Rameswar Teli, Pradan Baruah, Biswajit Daimari and Inland Waterways Authority of India member (technical) SK Gangwar, the Chief Minister met Gadkari at Transport Bhawan here this afternoon.
The Sonowal government, which has been under attack for the pathetic condition of the NHs in the State, called for releasing more funds to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Gadkari also hinted at releasing more funds to the State once a high-level NHAI team, which is in Assam, submits its report within a week to repair stretches of the NHs that are in bad shape. Sonowal also requested Gadkari to set up a permanent office of the National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) in Guwahati.
Sonowal sought Gadkari�s intervention for immediate sanctioning of balance amount for repairing a 62-km stretch of the NH-44 in Barak valley, which is in dismal condition. He also pleaded for sanctioning of six-laning of Guwahati bypass on the NH-37, which is pending with the NHAI.
Moreover, the Chief Minister drew the attention of the Union minister for restoring the Gai Bridge on the NH-52 near Dhemaji. Sonowal also requested Gadkari to take measures for immediate repair of the NH-37 from Nagaon to Kaliabor and Numaligarh to Dibrugarh, besides the NH-37A from Kaliabor to Dolabari, the NH-52A from Gohpur to Holongi and the NH-52 from Jamuguri to Gohpur.
The meeting also decided to start the proposed dredging of the 600-km stretch of the Brahmaputra river from Sadiya to Dhubri from September, once the monsoon is over. Six dredgers will be pressed into service in the exercise and a minimum 45-metre depth would be maintained throughout the entire stretch of the river in the State.
Gadkari expressed confidence that dredging would greatly help in desilting the riverbed, thereby enhancing the water carrying capacity of the Brahmaputra, which would act as a deterrent against perennial floods in Assam. Moreover, the sand thus collected from dredging could be used to construct two express highways along both sides of the river. Sonowal agreed that the detailed project report (DPR) along with the technical report would be submitted by the State Government to the Centre soon. The meeting also saw sanctioning of additional funds to the tune of Rs 400 crore for the purpose.
In the meeting, Gadkari said the Ministry of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping was at an advanced stage of starting the works of two more bridges on the Brahmaputra, one being the 30-km Dhubri-Phulbari bridge. Moreover, the DPR for the Gohpur-Numaligarh and Majuli-Jorhat links over the river are at advanced stages of implementation.
