Tura, Oct 12: Locals in North Garo Hills (NGH) may finally heave a sigh of relief after work on the completely 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 since more than a decade ago, was ceremonially started yesterday at Mendipathar in the presence of 3 NPP MLAs of NGH, Rupert Momin, deputy speaker of the Meghalaya Assembly, Timothy D Shira and Pongseng Marak. The deputy CEM of GHADC, Dolly K Sangma was also present during the occasion.
It will not be constructed under the assistance of the Asian Development Bank with the contractors Badri Rai and Co promising to begin construction on a war footing.
The road, which will be a 2 lane highway, is about 40 km in length and will pass through Damas, Mendipathar, Resubelpara before joining up with NH – 51 at Bajengdoba. It is expected to ease the problems faced by locals, with the narrow stretches of the road posing immense difficulties for travel. Furthermost of the road is currently in a deplorable state.
Earlier, some sections of the road were constructed using German technology by one CC Limited but did not even last 3 months. The repair was undertaken during the time of the Congress-led MUA – II government.
“We are hopeful that we will finally have a world-class road like many other places in the country. We have been suffering this road for decades and this has been one of the long-pending demands. We hope the current government is serious about this road as it will be the biggest boost to everything in the district,” said a resident of Damas, Gabriel S Sangma.
According to sources, the road has not been fully worked on ever since Resubelpara was given Sub Division 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 another resident of Mendipathar, Bacheng Marak.
