Two years on, Rs 6 crore road project in Assam’s Dima Hasao remains incomplete

A 12-kilometre road project connecting Maibang to Mupanabdi village in Assam’s Dima Hasao district remains unfinished even after two years, triggering anger among local residents who accuse the contractor of collecting funds without completing the work.

 

The project, sanctioned under the Chief Minister’s Paki Path Road Construction Scheme, was approved during the 2022–23 financial year at an estimated cost of Rs 6 crore. The state’s Public Works Department (PWD) awarded the contract on May 29, 2023, to Rishabh Jain, a contractor from Nagaon.

 

According to official records, Rs 5.51 crore was sanctioned for construction and an additional Rs 31 lakh for maintenance over four years. The road was scheduled for completion by May 29, 2024, but villagers say no substantial progress has been made.

 

Residents of Mupanabdi allege that the contractor collected payment without executing the work. They claim the condition of the road has deteriorated to such an extent that vehicles can no longer ply safely. A journey that once took 15 to 20 minutes now takes nearly 90 minutes, and patients must be carried manually to Maibang as ambulances cannot access the village.

 

The villagers have demanded the immediate removal of the current contractor and urged the government to reassign the project to a local builder capable of completing the work.

 

Locals say about half of the 12-kilometre stretch is now in a severely damaged condition, leaving the community cut off from essential services and markets despite the state government’s ongoing push to improve rural connectivity.