Unprecedented development in Barak Valley in past five years : CM
Silchar: On the second day of his two-day visit to Barak Valley, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma this morning laid the foundation stone for a proposed RCC bridge over River Barak at Madhuraghat in Silchar.
The bridge, planned to connect Madhuramukh with Silchar city from the vicinity of the rice mill at Gandhighat, has been taken up under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) for the year 2025–26. The project will also include approach roads and safety components. The bridge, to be constructed at a cost of over Rs. 79 crore, will have a total length of 340 metres. Once completed, it will link the geographically separated areas of Itkhola towards Silchar city and Dudhpatil across the river, bringing significant economic, social, and infrastructural transformation. The bridge will reduce the distance between the two points by around 8 km, thus ensuring smoother movement of people and goods, saving time and fuel costs, and ultimately helping reduce the prices of essential commodities.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Minister said the project marks an important step toward ensuring seamless connectivity across the Barak River and fulfills a long-standing demand of the people of the Barak Valley. He assured that the bridge would be completed within two years.
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The Chief Minister further stated that the region has witnessed unprecedented improvement in road connectivity. Major bridges such as the Annapurna Setu, Badri Setu and Sonai Setu have already been completed, while the bridge at Silghat is nearly 50 percent complete. Another bridge at Karatigram is under construction and is expected to be completed by October next year, he added.
Referring to several other ongoing bridge projects over the Barak River, he said that under the initiative of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, bridges are being built at Katakhal, Sialtek, Gauri Setu, Sonabari Ghat and other locations. He remarked that the Barak Valley has seen development over the past five years that it had never witnessed before. He also informed that approval for the Dolu airport is likely soon. The elevated corridor project in Silchar city has also been approved, involving an expenditure of around Rs. 564 crore. Terming this phase as a “golden period” for the development of Barak Valley, the Chief Minister said the government would continue to take the region forward on a new path of progress with the blessings and cooperation of the people.
Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Minister Kaushik Roy, MP Parimal Suklabaidya, MLAs Mihir Kanti Shome, Dipayan Chakraborty, Nihar Ranjan Das and Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, senior officials of the PWD and district administration and several other dignitaries were present at the event.
