Harang bridge snaps, Barak Valley cut off; MP Sushmita Dev seeks Assam CM’s urgent action

Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev has written an urgent letter to Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma following the collapse of the Harang Bridge on the Silchar-Kalain road, which has caused a complete breakdown of road connectivity in the Barak Valley.

In her letter, the Trinamool Congress leader highlighted that the Harang Bridge had become the only operational route connecting Silchar to Meghalaya and Guwahati, after the Katigorah Gamon Bridge over the Barak River at Badarpurghat was closed for repairs.

Dev stated that the Harang Bridge gave way under the pressure of heavy traffic using it as an alternative route. She termed the situation a "huge crisis" not only for Assam’s Barak Valley but also for neighbouring states like Manipur and Mizoram that rely on this corridor for the movement of goods and people.

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Criticizing the Public Works Department, Dev questioned the quality of the recent repairs to the bridge and alleged a serious lapse in planning and preparedness, especially when the collapse occurred just after the Gamon Bridge repairs began.

She urged the Chief Minister to immediately intervene, deploy emergency measures, and check the movement of heavy vehicles on alternate routes, pointing out that the region is now virtually “landlocked” during the monsoon season — placing lives and livelihoods at risk.