Guwahati: Construction of the Silchar–Saurashtra East–West Corridor has been halted once again after residents of Dolai Chunga village in Assam’s Dima Hasao district stopped work on the four-lane National Highway, alleging non-payment of compensation.
The fresh disruption comes days after a structural setback on the project, when an under-construction flyover collapsed on the Harangajao–Jatinga stretch at Dolai Chunga on the night of February 22, adding to delays in a highway that has faced repeated hurdles since work began in 2004.
The corridor, a key connectivity project intended to link the Northeast with Western India, has remained incomplete for over two decades due to technical, administrative and local challenges. With Assembly elections approaching in Assam, construction activity had recently picked up following intervention by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had pressed for expediting work and opening crucial stretches before the polls.
However, from Wednesday, residents of Dolai Chunga brought construction activities to a standstill, demanding immediate disbursal of compensation for losses suffered during land acquisition and project execution.
According to villagers, a joint survey was conducted on November 26, 2025, to assess damage to the homes, land and plantations of 50 affected families. The exercise involved officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Dima Hasao Land Revenue Department, the Public Works Department under the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council, as well as representatives from the Agriculture and Forest Departments. Following the survey, compensation bills were prepared and submitted to the NHAI’s Silchar Project Implementation Unit (PIU), residents said.
Despite this, they allege that no compensation has been released so far.
Villagers said additional land was acquired for widening the highway, leading to the demolition of houses and the destruction of betel nut plantations and fruit orchards — which they described as their primary source 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 residents not to obstruct the project and assured them that compensation would be paid at the earliest. The families were also asked to vacate three houses to facilitate completion of the work.
However, residents maintain that their compensation files remain pending at the NHAI office in Silchar and that no financial relief has been provided. Some villagers alleged that the matter was handled with political urgency in view of the upcoming elections, rather than with administrative seriousness.
“We will not allow construction to resume until our compensation is released,” protesting residents said, ruling out any compromise.
They said the economic impact has been severe, with the destruction of plantations wiping out household incomes and pushing several families into financial distress.
The villagers have appealed to the Dima Hasao district administration and the police to intervene and ensure immediate settlement of compensation claims so that work on the project can resume.