TINGKHONG, Sept 11: The All Assam Students Union (AASU) staged a protest at Lengeri in Tingkhong on Thursday, demanding immediate repair and reconstruction of NH-52(B), a key highway connecting Assam with Arunachal Pradesh.
The protest was organised following a call by AASU under the initiative of the Dibrugarh District Students Union, with more than 100 members forming a human chain on the highway. Protesters alleged that NH-52(B) had remained in a severely dilapidated condition for a long time despite repeated concerns over its poor state.
Raising slogans against the government and authorities, the protesters demanded immediate repair and reconstruction of the highway. They also criticised the government’s alleged failure to properly maintain national highways despite increasing toll charges, claiming that patchwork repairs were being carried out instead of comprehensive reconstruction.
The protesters said the Kanubari-Dibrugarh road through Arunachal Pradesh was an important route for people travelling between the two states. Several stretches had deteriorated significantly, causing difficulties for daily commuters and other road users.
They also raised concerns over the movement of patients and expectant mothers travelling between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh for medical treatment, saying commuters were being forced to endure considerable hardship on the damaged stretches.
AASU reiterated its demand for immediate and permanent repair of NH-52(B) and urged the authorities to take concrete measures to improve connectivity along the Assam-Arunachal route.
