Assam: Kaziranga elevated corridor, Guwahati Ring Road get wildlife clearance

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed on Thursday that key infrastructure projects in the state, including the Kaziranga elevated corridor and Guwahati Ring Road, have obtained wildlife clearance.

Sharing details on the construction of Guwahati Ring Road along with a six-lane bridge over the Brahmaputra over 63.44 km, with the total project cost estimated at Rs 5729.47 crore, the CM Sarma said bids for the project have already been invited and wildlife clearance and land acquisition have been achieved.

On the construction of a four-lane from Kaliabor to Numaligarh for a total length of 85.68 km, including an elevated corridor of 35 km length in Kaziranga, at Rs 5,500 crore, CM Sarma said wildlife clearance has been obtained and land acquisition is ongoing at a fast pace.

The chief minister said the scheduled completion time of the six-lane bypass in Guwahati is August 2024, adding that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has worked relentlessly to ease congestion in Guwahati city, thereby bringing respite to the people of Assam from regular traffic woes, adding that it was owing to its continuous and sincere efforts that the work could be completed almost five months ahead of the scheduled time, he said.

CM Sarma on Thursday inaugurated the Basistha flyover and the Jaynagar underpass as a part of the six-lane Guwahati bypass at a function in Guwahati.

The four-lane work of the Guwahati bypass was carried out earlier by the NHAI. To ease the traffic congestion in Guwahati city, the NHAI has taken up the upgradation of this bypass from the existing four lanes to six lanes, including the construction of flyovers and underpasses at important junctions such as Boragaon, Garchuk, Lokhra and Basistha at a combined cost of Rs 443.93 crore.

The length of the Guwahati bypass is approximately 17 km where four flyovers have been constructed. Underpasses at Jayanagar and Beharbari have also come up, adding to the convenience of commuters.

As a result, highway traffic and city traffic have been segregated resulting in the safety and comfort of road users.

“On this auspicious day, the Basistha Flyover and Jayanagar underpass, over a distance of 1.8 km long, is being opened for public use. This will ease traffic congestion at Basistha and Jayanagar junctions,” CM Sarma said at the inauguration event.

He said that the opening of this flyover will result in improved mobility of vehicular traffic on the national highway through Guwahati city as well as decongestion at Basistha and Jayanagar junctions.
The CM added that along with comfort, road safety will increase manifold thereby saving precious lives. Connectivity to Guwahati airport will improve with the reduction in travel time with the inauguration of the flyover, the chief minister noted.

He informed further that another important project, a four-lane road project from the Nrimbanglo-Jatinga-Harangajao Section in Dima Hasao District is under construction connecting Lumding with Silchar. The length of the project is 49.43 km, with the cost coming to Rs. 1,676.70 crore, the CM said, adding that has asked the NHAI to complete the project by 2026.

CM Sarma also thanked Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, for giving due importance to these road projects in Assam.
MPs Queen Oja, Pabitra Margherita, and GMC Mayor Mrigen Sarania, among others, were present at the event.