Silchar: North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) has urged NHAI to expedite the delayed Dima Hasao section of the East-West Corridor.At a review meeting in Haflong on Sunday, NCHAC representatives raised concerns over the highway’s condition and sought regular maintenance to ensure safe, uninterrupted travel between the Barak Valley and Dima Hasao.The Silchar-Saurashtra corridor has remained incomplete for over two decades. Its foundation stone was laid in Silchar in 2004 by then Union surface transport minister B C Khanduri and Union finance minister Jaswant Singh. Completion was initially scheduled for 2007.While most of the 3,576.55-km corridor has been completed, the hilly Dima Hasao stretch remains a major bottleneck. A Rajya Sabha reply in Aug 2025 said the 49.2-km Narimbanglo-Jatinga Junction-Harangajao section was under construction.Deadlines have repeatedly slipped. In March 2024, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said the corridor would be completed before the 2026 assembly election. The state later targeted Jan 2026 for opening the Jatinga-Harangajao section, while NHAI indicated four-laning could take until April 2026.The existing route is prone to landslides and monsoon damage. NHAI officials assured the council that maintenance would be improved and pending work expedited. The meeting stressed closer coordination among NCHAC, NHAI and other agencies.
