Encroachment hurdle hits road widening proposal

A stretch of Guru Teg Bahadur Road. Picture by Eastern Projections

Dhubri, Feb 4 : When residents of Dhubri list the pleasures of sunbathed winters, the one that tops the list is the thrill of driving through a dry, motorable road.

Rain, even the light showers of summer, makes the Mora Gadadhar river overflow and spill on to Guru Teg Bahdur Road, making the thoroughfare impossible to negotiate.

For years, residents have rallied for the road to be widened and raised so that water from the Mora Gadadhar does not inundate it after a minor shower.

After much dilly-dallying, the Dhubri-Gouripur Development Authority has finally submitted a comprehensive project to widen and raise the 6km road, 2km of which is perennially waterlogged.

Abhijit Ghose, a resident of the area, said they had submitted several memoranda at the Dhubri deputy commissioner’s office and to minister Wazed Ali Chowdhury but nothing has been done so far.

“When the Mora Gadadhar overflows, the road goes under knee-deep water and becomes completely unmotorable for several days,” Ghose said.

The chairman of the Dhubri-Gouripur Development Authority, M. Nasiruddin Sheikh, said a road widening plan with an estimate of Rs 425,81,500 was approved in a meeting last December and duly countersigned by the executive engineer, PWD (rural road) and sent to Dispur recently.

“The project was routed through Dhubri deputy commissioner Jatindra Lahakar, who forwarded the plan and the estimate to DoNER through the Assam government on January 1, which was received by the planning department on January 12,” Sheikh said.

But the biggest obstacle for the road-widening project is encroachment.

Official sources in the Dhubri district administration said last year, a survey was conducted on encroachment on Guru Teg Bahadur Road and it revealed that most of the settlers had obtained permanent patta on their land while a few had even built pucca houses.

Under the circumstances, it would be very difficult to evict the encroachers for the road-widening project.

Besides, the issue of compensation against land acquisition has triggered a major debate.

Residents of Dhubri alleged that lack of political push has stalled several projects, one of which is the widening programme on Guru Teg Bahdur Road.

Assam Govt flayed for city blasts

GUWAHATI, Jan 3 – State BJP president Ramen Deka on Friday warned that the situation in the State would continue to be volatile until and unless terrorism masterminded from Bangladesh is exterminated. Condemning in strong words the serial blasts triggered in the capital city on the first day of the New Year, Deka said that it was indicative of more trouble ahead.

Deka regretted the failure of the government in taking the necessary steps to prevent the recurrence of an October 30-like situation, the day when a series of bomb blasts had rocked the capital city.

Demanding stringent measures to tackle the scourge of terrorism, the senior BJP leader said that the government should immediately plug the security loopholes.

The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) today demonstrated against the security lapses and increasing terror acts and warned that it would take up more vigorous protest programmes in the coming days if there was no improvement in the security front.

The student body further said that the Tarun Gogoi Government had no moral right to continue in power as it had failed to protect the life and property of the common people.

The Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) while criticizing the Tarun Gogoi Government said the failure of the government to take up necessary security measures even after having prior information that terrorists might strike again, was reflective of the government’s indifference towards the common people.

The All Assam Markazi Jamiat Ulama has asked the government to identify the perpetrators of yesterday’s serial blasts and mete out exemplary punishment to them.