Locals in North Garo Hills may finally heave a sigh of relief after work on the dilapidated road between Damra in Assam and Bajengdoba in Meghalaya is set to start in the coming days.
The road, which apparently has not been worked upon except for minor repairs for more than a decade ago, was ceremonially started yesterday at Mendipathar in the presence of three MLAs – Deputy Speaker Rupert Momin, Timothy D Shira and Pongseng Marak. Garo Hills Autonomous District Council Deputy Chief Executive Member Dolly K Sangma was also present on the occasion.
The contractors Badri Rai & Co have promised to begin construction on a war footing.
The road, which will be a two-lane highway, is about 40 kilometres in length and will pass through Damas, Mendipathar and Resubelpara before joining up with National Highway 51 at Bajengdoba. It is expected to ease the problems faced by locals, with the narrow stretches of the road, which are in a deplorable state, posing immense difficulties for travel.
Earlier, some sections of the road were supposedly constructed using German technology by a firm called CC Limited but this did not last even three months. Those repairs were undertaken during the time of the previous Congress-led government.
“We are hopeful that we will finally have a world-class road like many other places in the country. We have been suffering with this road for decades and this has been one of the long pending demands,” Damas resident Gabriel S Sangma said. “We hope the current government is serious about this road as it will be the biggest boost to everything in the district.”
According to sources, the road has not been fully worked on ever since Resubelpara was given sub-divisional status, with only cosmetic changes taking place. The new road, however, has left many with big expectations.
“We are really hopeful our district will get this infrastructure boost. This will not only help in boosting our local economy but make life a lot more comfortable. We don’t mind a little dust along the way,” said a resident of Mendipathar, Bacheng Marak.
