(Photo: 'Awesome Assam')
The approval for the development of a 166.80-km greenfield high-speed corridor from Mawlyng- khung in Meghalaya to Panchgram in Assam at a cost of Rs 22,864 crore will be a big boost to enhancing connectivity in the Northeast.
The 166.80-km (NH-6) highway in Meghalaya (144.80 km) and Assam (22 km) will reduce travelling time to a large extent and facilitate seamless movement of goods carriers. It is heartening to see substantial investments being made to boost surface communication in Assam and the rest of the Northeast in recent years.
Recently, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had announced investments worth Rs 3 lakh crore in Assam to construct national highways at par with those in the US. Given that roads are critical not just to facilitating vehicular movement but are a sine qua non for overall development cutting across multiple spheres, this should be a primary area to focus on for governments - both the Centre and the State government.
The historical neglect of the Northeast in terms of road connectivity also makes a strong case for expediting highway expansion in the region. Indeed, the inadequate road network in the region, which has accounted for a very small share of road development, has had a negative impact on its overall development process.
While we need roads, it is equally important that we have good roads, too. Any compromise with quality during construction stands to frustrate the very objectives of road development. Unfortunately, highways in Assam or the Northeast do not compare favourably with roads in the rest of the country, as our roads have acquired a bad reputation vis-à-vis durability.
There is a definite lack of quality control that erodes the longevity of roads in Assam, negating their utility.
Even newly-constructed highways in the State develop rough patches in quick time and matters worsen further due to the lack of periodical maintenance. Another perennial irritant that has been left unaddressed is missed deadlines in road project execution.
Roads take a very long time to complete and this in turn subjects the commuters to severe inconvenience besides triggering cost escalation and corrupt practices. Even while acknowledging that the road network, including highways in Assam, has witnessed augmentation in recent years, we still have miles to go to catch up with the developed States in terms of road adequacy and road durability. This will require a sustained thrust from both the Centre and the State government. Another imperative is not to adopt an intrusive and insensitive infrastructure development model that rides rough- shod over genuine environmental concerns. Felling of large, mature trees for road construction has become a routine in the State without giving any thought to any alternative options.
This will change only when environmental concerns are given due consideration while planning and executing development projects.