Now Reading: Cabinet clears Rs 8,970-crore Guwahati-Tezpur corridor in Assam
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Cabinet clears Rs 8,970-crore Guwahati-Tezpur corridor in Assam
The Union Cabinet on August 6 approved a 135.871-km, four-lane access-controlled Guwahati-Tezpur corridor on NH-15 in Assam at a cost of Rs 8,970.20 crore. The Hindu reports the project will be built…
The Story in Brief
The Union Cabinet on August 6 approved a 135.871-km, four-lane access-controlled Guwahati-Tezpur corridor on NH-15 in Assam at a cost of Rs 8,970.20 crore. The Hindu reports the project will be built under the build-operate-transfer toll model and halve travel time, while doubling average travel speed, according to the road ministry statement.
The corridor will include five bypasses, 15 major bridges, 30 minor bridges, 19 flyovers, 46 underpasses and an elephant underpass. It also includes an emergency landing facility on the Tezpur bypass, described as 4.9 km by BusinessLine and 5 km by The Hindu. The road will connect industrial parks, aspirational districts, tourist sites, railway stations, airports and waterway terminals across Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
The Indian Opinion
Claims that a new highway alone will transform Assam are premature, just as dismissing the project as another toll road is too easy. Bypasses may reduce congestion, but the promised gains depend on construction quality, safe access points and reliable maintenance. The emergency landing facility and elephant underpass also need proper operation, not just inclusion in a project list. The first test will be whether travel time actually falls by half after opening, without a rise in crashes or toll-related diversions.
Sources (2): thehindubusinessline.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
