DIBRUGARH, Nov 18 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today inaugurated the much-delayed and long-awaited 15.447 km Dibrugarh bypass/realignment of NH-37, connecting the Bogibeel junction near Lepetkata at 581.7 km to 597.14 km near Bokul and Chaulkhowa. The entire project, under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme SARDP-NE scheme, was implemented with a sanctioned cost of Rs 351.31 crore. The bypass road, including the road overbridge near Bokel, has been constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 96.84 crore by construction agency ABCI-JKM JV. The other expenditures included land acquisition and utility costs, officials from the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, informed.
It may be recalled that the construction work was awarded on February 20, 2015, and the date of completion was initially targeted on November 1, 2018. The target date was later revised to July 31, 2020. At the inaugural function, dedicating the bypass to the nation the Chief Minister attributed the project completion to Prime Minister Narendra Modi�s vision. �Prime Minister Narendra Modi often articulates in his speeches � �transformation through transportation�. He believes that without connectivity and communication, states cannot progress. Among various other development programmes, the Prime Minister has been specifically laying stress on strengthening the connectivity and communication in the eight states of the Northeast. Therefore, until now, projects worth about Rs 3.5 lakh crore have been started in the region and the majority of them have been completed. Assam and NE states today have better roads and bridges now,� he said.
Sonowal said that Congress ruled for about 60 years but failed to develop the infrastructure of the region �because they did not have the desire. They were not sincere, they had no plan, no policy and no scheme for the region. They only wanted to remain in power.�
�During elections they announce schemes and exploit the voters. They never fulfil their promises. But, it is the desire of the Prime Minister that all the eight states of the NE make progress along with the rest of the India and be known as the most developed region globally,� he said.
