180 hectares in Kamrup Metro, 110 hectares in Kamrup and 60 hectares in Darang districts have to be acquired for the Ring Road project and maximum acquisition will be in the khanapara, Sonapur and Chandrapur stretch
The state government is all geared up to start work on the proposed Guwahati Ring Road and is eyeing to lay the foundation stone in February next year, most likely during Advantage Assam 2.0, but the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is having a tough time acquiring land, which will be required for the project.
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A source in NHAI talking to GPlus on condition of anonymity said, “Around 350 hectares land has to be acquired for the Ring Road project,” adding that of this, 180 hectares in Kamrup Metro, 110 hectares in Kamrup and 60 hectares in Darrang district.The source further said that the process has started, but it will take some time.
On being asked if he there could be opposition to acquisition attempts, the source said that NHAI always faces such issues, but the state authorities tackle the situation and the state government is serious about the project; therefore, acquisition will be done gradually. “The maximum amount of land will be acquired from Khanapara to Sonapur stretch,” said the source. In Kamrup Metro, there will be acquisition in Khanapara, Sonapur, Chandrapur, Narangi, and some parts of Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary. In Kamrup, there will be acquisition at Baihata, Kamalpur and the nearby areas. In Darrang, there will be acquisition near Kuruwa.
It needs to be mentioned that the Ring Road will start at Kamalpur near Baihata Chariali and, bypassing the Baihata area and other populated villages, it will reach Kuruwa through Degaon, Karara, Mandakata and Suktaguri. From Kuruwa there will be a six lane bridge over Brahmaputra till Tera Tukra near Narangi. From Narengi the Greenfield road will reach Kapalkata at Sonapur (near Digaru bridge) through Panikheti, Chandrapur crossing the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary.
The road from Kamalpur to Sonapur will be four-lane except the Kuruwa-Narengi bridge, which will be six-lane. A 55-kilometre Greenfield road from Kamalpur to Sonapur will be constructed, and accordingly land will be acquired. 350 hectares of land will have to be acquired by the government to make the Ring Road including the widening of the road from Basistha to Jorabat.
The source informed that seven to eight hectares land will be acquired in the Amchang range for which stage one permission has been availed. Stage two permission will be provided by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and it is still pending.
It needs to be mentioned that the work on the Ring Road project was expected to start before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but it was deferred as the bidding process was not complete and the land acquisition issue was not resolved. It needs to be mentioned that the bidding process is still not complete and land acquisition process has just started.
It will be a 121-kilometer long road network and will be developed in Build Operate Toll (BOT) mode. The total cost of project is Rs. 3,689 crore. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the project in August 2024, but because the project has been delayed for around a year, the state government has requested the Centre to speed up the process. The project will start in February if land acquisition issue is resolved.
Meanwhile, residents of Sonapur have submitted written appeals to the Sonapur Circle Officer, the Kamrup Metropolitan District Commissioner, the NHAI Project Director, the Chief Minister, the local MLA, and several Union Ministers. The residents are also mulling protests if they have to leave their land because of the project.
A resident of Sonapur talking to GPlus said, “Till now what we know is the NHAI is just conducting a survey and have not approached us for land,” adding that in the future if they acquire land impacting the residents of the area negatively then it will not be allowed.
It needs to be mentioned that the All Tiwa Students’ Union, along with various other tribal organisations, staged a massive protest in Jagiroad, resulting in the blockade of the national highway. This demonstration was aimed to voice strong opposition against the establishment of the Jagiroad Town Committee and to address critical issues, including the eviction of encroachers within the designated tribal belt.
In September this year a violent clash erupted between police and residents of Sonapur’s Kosutoli during an eviction drive, resulting in the deaths of two individuals.
In the past also there were many protests organised in Sonapur against land acquisition. The proposed green field road between Sonapaur and Chandrapur (part of Ring Road) is in tribal belt and the NHAI officials fear opposition there against land acquisition.
The foundation stone may be laid in February next year but if the land acquisition issue is not resolved, the Ring Road project may turn into a distant dream.
