Government plans to develop 1,000 kilometer rural roads in the state

Guwahati: The state government is planning to upgrade about 1,000 km long rural roads in the state to the National Highway standard. Following the direction of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, PWD is identifying roads for their development.

According to official sources, the state government has entered into an initiative with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to finance the proposed road development works in the state.

The previous government of the state had started the work of developing some roads of the state to National Highway standard under the Asom Mala Scheme. PWD has completed some roads and some are under construction. Development of Palasbari-Chandubi road in Kamrup district under Asom Mala has been completed. The road has made travel to Chandubi hassle free for tourists.

Now, this government is going to launch the second phase of Asom Mala Scheme to improve connectivity in rural Assam on a need-based basis. The plan is to develop long roads connecting some important rural areas.

According to preliminary estimates, the cost of 1,000 km of roads will be around Rs 3,500 crore. PWD has already invited bids for consultancy services to prepare DPR (detailed project report) for the roads.