Silchar: Silchar’s 2nd Link Road, connecting Hailakandi Road in the west with Sonai Road in the east, remains neglected despite sanctioned funds and completed project paperwork, raising concerns among residents ahead of the monsoon.Traffic on the arterial stretch has increased over the years, but civic infrastructure has not kept pace. Residents report that even during dry spells, water from clogged or incomplete drains spills onto the road. Several sections lack drainage, while garbage piles line parts of the stretch. With the rainy season nearing, locals fear severe waterlogging and further deterioration.An RTI response shows Rs 90.10 lakh was sanctioned under the Mukhyamantrir Nagariya Pakipath Nirman Achani (MMNPNA) in the 2023–24 financial year for “Improvement of 2nd Link Road including construction of covered drain and guard wall” under the Silchar assembly constituency. A work order was issued on March 14, 2024, with a completion deadline of March 13, 2025.Residents say there has been no visible progress on the ground more than a year after the work order and nearly three years after the project was first announced. Project documents including the DPR, site plan, transect walk details, site verification certificate and estimates are reported to be complete.Members of the 2nd Link Road Development Committee and local residents recently met senior PWRD officials seeking clarity on the delay. Officials cited procedural engagements and assured action, residents said, adding that similar assurances have been repeated over the years, often around election periods.“As citizens, we keep voting and waiting, but development remains on paper,” said a resident who pursued the RTI. “If we are to move towards a knowledge society, we must ask why projects stall and why we continue to fall behind,” he added.With assembly elections approaching, residents said they will continue pressing for answers, arguing that transparency and accountability in urban infrastructure projects cannot be treated as optional.
