Foundation stone of NH 54 laid under Signature Project in Cachar

Nov.21: The Aizawl-Dholai Road, which has been abandoned due to years of political apathy and neglect has been revived. Minister for Forest and Environment, Excise & Fisheries, Parimal Suklabaidya and MP Silchar, Dr. Rajdeep Roy laid the foundation stone of NH 54 from Dholai Bazar to Loharbond on Saturday. Rs.10 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of the road under the Signature Project at the initiative of MP, Dr.Roy.

Addressing a public meeting at Dholai Thana Road after laying the foundation stone, Minister Suklabaidya elaborated on the ancient history of Aizawl-Dholai Road. He said that this road is not just a road, it has a tradition in the map of Dholai.

“The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, accompanied by his daughter Indira Gandhi visited Aizawl and then went to Shilkuri- Barambaba Temple. From there, they reached Dholai Bazaar by Aizawl-Dholai Road and then proceeded to Aizawl by road. At that time, India had just become independent. But it is a pity that despite the Congress party being in power at the Centre and in the state for many years, no leader’s grace has been reflected on this traditional road. As a result, the heritage of the road is lost due to apathy and neglects,” said Minister Suklabaidya. He further said that the BJP is working for the overall welfare of the country as well as trying to revive any extinct tradition.

The Minister also stated that when MP Dr. Rajdeep Roy submitted a proposal of Rs.10 crore under the Signature Project for the construction of the road, the money was allocated by the state government. The Minister said the road work was progressing at a fast pace after he submitted a proposal of Rs.10 crore as MLA for construction of Bhuban-Tirtha Road under the same project.

Suklabaidya said, “In order to get any government grant, one had to pay half of the grant money. If Rs.10 lakh had been allocated for the construction of the road, roughly Rs.3 lakh would have been spent on the road, the rest of the money would have gone into the pockets of the leaders and ministers. This misdeed and sub-culture at least does not exist now. The embezzling of government money had stopped after the BJP came to power at the Centre and in the states.” Shuklabaidya said that Rs.10 crore has been allocated for the construction of 4.80 km road. He also asked the departmental authorities to make the remaining part of the road accessible to the people and that the proposals for the rest would be submitted later.

Speaking on the occasion, MP Dr Rajdeep Roy said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Assam, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma are working in the public interest. He said that he will never forget the heartfelt love and blessings of the people of Dholai. Dr.Roy further stated that in 2016, Parimal Suklabaidya faithfully performed the duties as a Cabinet Minister of Public Works Department and for the construction of roads in Dholai alone, Rs.300 crore was spent during his tenure. He said it was a history of sorts that Rs.10 crore has been allocated for the construction of the road and this is his first gift to the people of Dholai after being elected as an MP.

SDO, Dholai-Sonai Territorial Public Works Department, Shaibal Biswas gave a detailed account about the road construction work. He said that the zero point of the road is Dholai Bazaar (next to the police station) and the end point is Loharbond. The 4.80 km long road will be constructed together with drains, culverts and retaining walls.
Chairman of Silchar Development Authority, Manjul Deb and ZPC, Madhya Dholai, Sashanka Paul also spoke on the occasion.

On the same day, Minister Suklabaidya along with MP, Dr Rajdeep Roy also laid the foundation stone of a project worth Rs.5 lakh under the MPLAD scheme for the construction of new reactor at Dholai crematorium and inaugurated a community hall at Dholai crematorium at a cost of Rs.10 lakh under the Adarsh ​​Gram Yojana.