RESUBELPARA, Aug 20: Residents of North Garo Hills (NGH) are now heaving a sigh of relief as the newly constructed road connecting Damra in Assam and Bajengdoba in Meghalaya has reduced travel time by nearly half.
The road, spanning 36 kilometre, was constructed by Badri Rai and Company (BRC) at a cost of over Rs 78 crore, excluding a few remaining approach bridges.
The road is expected to have a longer lifespan compared to previous versions, which deteriorated shortly after being laid.
“The road was a nightmare to travel on with huge potholes literally no tar in its entirety. We used to take close to 1.5 hours to get from Damra to Bajengdoba if you could bear through. Being hilly, it was extremely difficult to traverse but that is now a thing of the past. Most of us can do the stretch in about 45-50 minutes. We just hope the contractor has not compromised on quality and we are able to use the road for at least a few years,” said North Garo Hills resident, MG Momin.
The construction of the road began in 2020, but the project faced delays due to difficulties in sourcing materials, a common issue in the Garo Hills where essential resources like sand, gravel and stones are scarce.
“Unlike Khasi-Jainita Hills, Garo Hills does not have enough raw materials on site that can be used to build the road (sand gravel, stones). This means that procurement of materials becomes a huge issue to start any project. We struggled with this for the first year and a half before being able to set up a quarry from where our materials were managed,” informed a company source.
There was an initial delay as the company tried to work out what needed to be done which led to many questioning the motive of the company and, by extension, the state government.
“Once we were able to get our set up right, we did the road to the best of our ability and the results are showing. The road has already been through one monsoon without even one crack on it and this is testimony to our commitment to quality. Barring natural disasters, we are hopeful the road will last a long time and provide a pleasurable experience to travellers,” added the source.
The BRC sources also informed that the formal handover of the road is expected soon.
