Construction of the Silchar-Saurashtra East-West Corridor has been halted after residents of Dolai Chunga village in Dima Hasao district stopped work on the four-lane National Highway, alleging non-payment of compensation for land and property losses.
The fresh disruption comes days after an under-construction flyover collapsed on the Harangajao-Jatinga stretch at Dolai Chunga on the night of February 22, compounding delays in a project that has faced repeated setbacks since work began in 2004.
The corridor, designed to strengthen connectivity between the Northeast and Western India, has remained incomplete for over two decades amid technical, administrative and local challenges. With Assembly elections approaching in Assam, construction activity had recently gathered pace following intervention by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had pressed for expediting work and opening key stretches before the polls.
However, villagers brought construction to a standstill from Wednesday, demanding immediate disbursal of compensation for damage caused during land acquisition and execution of the project.
Residents said a joint survey was conducted on November 26, 2025, to assess losses suffered by 50 affected families. The exercise involved officials of the National Highways Authority of India, the Dima Hasao Land Revenue Department, the Public Works Department under the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council, and representatives from the Agriculture and Forest Departments. Compensation bills were subsequently prepared and submitted to the NHAI’s Silchar Project Implementation Unit (PIU), villagers said.
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Despite this, they alleged that no compensation has been released so far.
According to residents, additional land was acquired for widening the highway, leading to the demolition of houses and destruction of betel nut plantations and fruit orchards, their primary sources of livelihood.
They further claimed that State Ministers Kaushik Rai and Nandita Garlosa, during a visit on January 31 ahead of a proposed inauguration of the highway stretch, had urged them not to obstruct the project and assured that compensation would be paid at the earliest. Three families were asked to vacate their houses to facilitate completion of work.
However, residents maintained that their compensation files remain pending at the NHAI office in Silchar and that no financial relief has been extended. Some alleged that the matter was handled with political urgency ahead of the elections rather than administrative seriousness.
“We will not allow construction to resume until our compensation is released,” protesting residents said, ruling out any compromise.
They said the destruction of plantations had wiped out household incomes, pushing several families into financial distress.
The villagers have appealed to the district administration and police authorities to intervene and ensure immediate settlement of compensation claims so that work on the long-delayed highway can resume.
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