NILAMBAZAR, May 8 - Since the onset of pre-monsoon rains, the condition of the NH-8 has further worsened. The residents of Karimganj district are extremely upset over the pathetic condition of the Assam-Tripura Road (National Highway-8) from Kanaibazar (Ashimganj) to Mundamala near Patherkandi and South Karimganj LAC.
National Highway-44 whose new number is NH-8 has been assigned as the National Highway which goes from Ratacherra in Meghalaya upto Agartala in Tripura through the Cachar and Hailakandi districts. The road is vital for Tripura and Barak Valley.
The road under reference is mostly used by the residents of Tripura and Karimganj to reach Guwahati and other districts of Assam and Meghalaya. Though the entire road from Puamara to Ashimganj is in a sorry state, but the condition of the stretch from Batoiya to Moina covering a length of 26 km is simply beyond imagination.
The entire road is akin to a dirt track which is dotted by crater-sized water-filled ditches. Some of the ditches are so large that small vehicles find it extremely difficult to negotiate. As a result, traffic jams are frequent on the road, besides occasional mechanical breakdowns. The truck drivers carrying essential items have to face serious problem due to the deplorable road conditions.
�Though the government has been harping on �parivartan�, but in practice no action has been forthcoming,� Prabir Bhattacharjee, a senior resident of Karimganj lamented.
The Executive Engineer Karimganj NH Division BK Nath while on a visit to Ashimganj on the NH-8 along with the SDO, was confronted by the local people who staged a demonstration and shouted slogans, demanding early repairing of the Kanaibazar-Ashimganj stretch of the road.
It may be mentioned that a few years back, an Orissa-based construction company ARSS started renovation work on the said road, but due to political interference and continuous agitation the company failed to complete the task at hand. Not surprisingly, they completed only 33 per cent work. In this connection, a case is sub judice in Gauhati High Court.
