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Guwahati, June 25 : A road – which is the lifeline of around 5-7 lakh people living in two Assam's districts – Dima Hasao and Cachar.
It is not an ordinary road. It is the National Highway – 54 (E), part of the East West Corridor – the dream project of former Prime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which covers about 493km from Silchar to Itanagar via Kalain.
You believe it or not, but it is true that, this National Highway becomes swimming pools for buffaloes.
Buffaloes are wallowing in the potholed National Highway – 54 (E) in Assam's Dima Hasao district.
The National Highway is the lifeline of around 5-7 lakh people of Assam Dima Hasao, Cachar district.
But, even after a decade it still remains in the most pathetic condition.
The condition of this National Highway – 54 (E) is totally worst in between Mahur to Harangajao and Balacherra in Dima Hasao district.
The commuters have to suffer a lot especially during the monsoon season due to deplorable condition of the road.
In 2011, a construction firm JKM Infra was engaged by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for constructing the National Highway in between Jatinga-Harangajao in Dima Hasao district, but after five years, the construction company was failed to complete the work.
Later, few other companies were also engaged to complete the work, but they were also failed.
Over 5-7 lakh people living in the areas of Dima Hasao and Cachar districts are facing lot of problems due to deplorable condition of the road.
The condition of the road is so pitiable that the people are facing difficulty in getting the patient to the hospital.
Even, buffaloes swim in the potholed of the road.
On June 24, the people of Harangajao area in Dima Hasao district had staged a protest over the pitiable condition of the National Highway and demanded the government to take appropriate measures to complete the works soon.
A local youth Sandeep Das said that, the condition of this National Highway is so worst.
"We can't call it a road. If you call it a road, then it will be defamatory. If we call it National Highway - 54, then it will be more defamatory. Here you can do farming, you can fish. We are demanding from the government that to make it as soon as possible. We are common people, but they are neglecting us. The people are facing too much difficulty to reach the nearby railway station. There is a lot of problem for the patient in this road. Delivery gets on the way. Water comes on the road and washed away them. We are demanding that, the government should take appropriate measures to complete the work as soon as possible," Sandeep Das said.
On the other Haflong based journalist Pankaj Timung said that, the people of the Harangajao, Jatinga, Balicherra are facing lot of problems due to deplorable condition of the road.
It is to be mentioned that, few days back, a child of Harangajao area suffering from ill was died on the way to hospital while his parents carried him to Haflong civil hospital.
"If they (government) do not work properly then we will take indefinite road blockade programme after one month. It is called as East West Corridor, which is connecting Barak Valley area and also Tripura, Mizoram. But there is negligence from the part of government and they are not doing their duties. The road is becoming like a river, potholes are big and the buffaloes are swimming in the potholes. We are facing tremendous problems. Our district headquarter is Haflong, which is 40-km away from Harangajao. But we are not able to reach Haflong properly. Pregnant woman gave childbirth on the way. We are facing tremendous problems in last 10-15 years," a local resident Biswajit Paul said.
(By Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)
