Assam: East–West Corridor work resumes in Dima Hasao after district administration steps in

Construction work on the four-lane East–West Corridor National Highway in Dima Hasao district has resumed following the intervention of the district administration, bringing relief to commuters and project authorities. 

The work had been halted since February 25 after villagers of Daloichunga blocked construction over compensation-related issues.

The disruption occurred along the Jatinga–Harangajao stretch of the Silchar–Saurashtra East–West Corridor, where affected families in Daloichunga village alleged that they had not received compensation for damages caused by the highway construction. 

Following negotiations, the district administration convened a meeting with the affected families on February 27, after which a joint inspection was carried out.

Officials from the district administration, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Forest Department, the Land and Revenue Department and the police jointly conducted a field survey to assess the extent of damage. The inspection was carried out household by household in the affected area.

Additional Deputy Commissioner A K Elias Nasim Ahmed said that the inspection was conducted in line with the decision taken at a meeting held earlier at the Haflong district commissioner’s office with representatives of the affected villagers. He said all aspects of loss and damage were examined in detail and a joint report would be submitted by the district administration, NHAI and the Land and Revenue Department. He assured that compensation to the affected families would be released at the earliest.

NHAI manager Tushar Biswas said the Daloichunga area is geographically sensitive and cutting of hills for highway construction had increased the extent of damage. He added that additional land had been acquired in vulnerable zones and noted that compensation-related issues in the area date back to 2006. Biswas said that after discussions with the Land and Revenue Department of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council, compensation would be released once verification is completed.

Meanwhile, the village head of Daloichunga said that following assurances from District Commissioner Munindra Nath Nag regarding early disbursal of compensation, villagers decided to withdraw their protest and allow construction work to resume from Thursday.

With the standoff resolved, highway construction has restarted, restoring momentum to the crucial East–West Corridor project in the hill district.