Bottleneck in road upto SMCH: MP accuses contractors & few PWD officials for maligning him

Sept. 20: To give the narrow and dilapidated roads of Silchar, a new look, the state government has sanctioned an amount of around Rs.59 crore for constructing four-lane road from Rangirkhari point to the gate of Silchar Medical College & Hospital (SMCH) and two-lane road from SMCH to Assam University. Even the construction work of the road proceeded to a considerable extent before the work was stopped suddenly. Recently, this has given rise to a great controversy.

During the visit of Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma to Silchar on 18 September, he inspected the road from Rangirkhari to SMCH which is now lying incomplete. Silchar MP Dr Rajdeep Roy expressing anguish said, “Few officials of the PWD and contractors with vested interests presented half-truth before the Hon’ble Chief Minister. I agree to the fact that both myself and Silchar MLA Dipayan Chakraborty asked to stop the ongoing work of the road only at that portion, where the road got narrowed down to two-lane instead of four-lane, but we never told them to stop work for the entire stretch. What has been circulated in the name of MP and MLA is just to blemish our image. Their main intention of these persons is to derail the project and earn bad name for the government.”

Airing his views on the issue, Dr Rajdeep Roy said, “In the stretch from Rangirkhari to SMCH, there has been bottleneck in a portion of around 300 to 350 metres of road. Some of the PWD officials in connivance with the Contractor were over enthusiastic to carry on work even in this narrow stretch. The reason for this is easy to gauge as this would help them to invest less and earn more. When I discerned this fact, immediately during a meeting at the office of the Deputy Commissioner asked the concerned officials to carry on the work except that particular stretch of road where it was too much narrow than the specification. The local MLA was also there when I said so. But surprisingly, the work for the entire stretch of road was abruptly stopped in order to make the MP and MLA a villain in the eyes of the people.”

There is no denying the fact that this road from Rangirkhari to SMCH is too important given the number of vehicles bound for private hospitals, SMCH, NIT, Silchar Polytechnic, some reputed schools and of course Assam University passes through it. Work for the road of this important area should never have been stopped, said Silchar MP. He was, however, quick to add that the road near Valley Hospital, Gracewell Hospital, an Apollo Clinic near Birbal Bazar was more narrow then even two-lane. During the visit of the Chief Minister on 18 September, MP & MLA Silchar both of them were also present there at the site.

Dr Roy said, “The congestion in this road is in between Birbal Bazar to the iron bridge near APDCL office at Ghungoor. Many of the private hospitals operating in this stretch have no parking place for vehicles of patients and others, who usually park on the main road, thereby adding to the congestion. This is ofcourse the look out of the administration, MP and MLA. We won’t tolerate any compromise as regards the specification of 4-lane road. If for this, we need to wait for some time, we are also ready for that. But if the road is narrowed once, then people will take it for granted and in the future, the road can never be widened.

“The Chief Minister have asked to go for land acquisition in that stretch for widening the road. We will definitely do land acquisition and expand the road. We too are inhabitants of this town and will never ever compromise with the civic life of the citizens of Silchar. We will never allow the foul play of the contractors and some PWD officials to get materialised. Very soon, the bottlenecks would be removed and the people then will be glad to find the four-lane road motorable,” added Silchar MP Dr Rajdeep Roy.