Indo-Bhutan Border Road Project stalled over alignment dispute, Assam government tells Assembly
Assam has told the Assembly that the proposed Indo-Bhutan border road remains stalled after all state-submitted alignments were rejected by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The deadlock led to the work being foreclosed and any revival now depends on the Centre.
- Jul 27, 2026,
- Updated Jul 27, 2026, 3:55 PM IST
- The project DPR process began in 2017 with a Mumbai consultant appointed
- Aerial LiDAR surveys and wildlife consultations were completed before submissions
- State and Centre failed to agree on a route for four years
The Assam Government on July 27 informed the Legislative Assembly that the proposed Saralpara–Srirampur–Udaipur–Daibuti Indo-Bhutan Border Road Project remains stalled after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) rejected all alignment proposals submitted by the state.
Replying to Assembly Question No. 378, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who also holds the Public Works Department (PWD) portfolio, said the state had initiated the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and appointed Wadia Techno Engineering Services Ltd., Mumbai, as the consultant in 2017.
The government stated that aerial LiDAR surveys, consultations with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and other required procedures were completed before multiple feasible alignments were submitted to the MHA.
However, the MHA rejected all the proposed alignments. The state government said the inability to reach a consensus with the Centre on the alignment over four years led to the project being shelved. Consequently, the work was foreclosed on July 31, 2020, and the unspent sanctioned funds were refunded to the MHA in June 2022.
Responding to a query on whether the project would be revived, the Chief Minister said the decision now rests with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The proposed border road was intended to improve connectivity, socio-economic development and border security along the Indo-Bhutan border in Assam.
