NHIDCL assesses Tripura highway damage; NIT Agartala to draft restoration plan

A three-member committee from NHIDCL headquarters has assessed the damage to parts of National Highway in Tripura, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said. He informed that NIT Agartala along with DPR consultants have been engaged to prepare proposals for permanent restoration works.

The Union Minister stated this in a letter addressed to Tripura Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Biplab Kumar Deb.

On Facebook, Deb, who is also the former chief minister of the state, expressed his sincere gratitude and thanks to the Union minister for the progress of various works underway in the state under the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. 

He appreciated the promptness in completing these works while maintaining quality standards and taking swift action to address the demand for speedy repair of roads damaged by the floods in Tripura last year.

In the letter, the Union minister said, “This is with reference to your letter... regarding instructions to be issued to NHIDCL to speed up the work of National Highways while maintaining quality of work, and to declare the road from Kamalpur–Ambassa–Gandatwisa–Amarpur–Santirbazar as a two-lane highway with paved shoulders under NH. I have had the matter examined, and the point-wise response submitted by NHIDCL to the concerns regarding National Highways in the state of Tripura is enclosed.”

He further informed that he has been made aware of delays caused due to land acquisition issues, local challenges, force majeure conditions, and underperformance by some EPC contractors. 

Corrective measures, including retendering and reallocation, have been undertaken wherever necessary.

“It may also be noted that during the floods in Tripura in August 2024, damages occurred to both State and National Highway infrastructure. NHIDCL undertook immediate restoration and emergency repair works to restore trafficability. A three-member committee from NHIDCL headquarters assessed the damage, and NIT Agartala, along with DPR consultants, has been engaged to prepare proposals for permanent restoration works. The EPC contractors have also undertaken repairs within their scope of work,” the letter reads.