Garo body writes to Gadkari on NH-51 repair

SHILLONG: A Garo pressure group has sought Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s intervention in repairing National Highway 51 that connects Dalu in Meghalaya and Paikan in Assam.
In a letter to the Road Transport and Highways Minister, the A’Chik Indigenous Justice Initiative Forum said, the dilapidated condition of the 127-km stretch of the highway in the State has hampered trade and commerce.
NH-51 is 149 km long and only 22km runs through Assam and also connects Meghalaya to Bangladesh.
The letter pointed out that Japan has sanctioned Rs 4,000 crore for Tura-Dalu and Aizawl-Tuipang national highways.
“Preliminary survey for land acquisition for the 51-km Tura-Dalu road project is under process and the social impact assessment was issued by the end of October 2016. The GHADC has also cleared the project. But construction of the road has not begun,” said Alex K. Sangma, director of the forum, in the letter.
The potholed NH-51 has become a nightmare for locals and travellers and despite requests by various local organisations for decades, no action has been taken.
“There is a need to expedite the process of construction of the road,” said Sangma.