Silchar: Once considered for the Smart City tag, Silchar now paints a grim picture of neglect, with broken, potholed roads, clogged drains, and mounds of garbage scattered across the town. Silchar, the second-largest urban center in Assam after Guwahati and the headquarters of Cachar district, serves as a crucial commercial hub in southern Assam, with road connections to several neighboring states. However, the city’s infrastructure has been left in shambles, leaving residents to fend for themselves.
During the Namami Barak fest in November 2017, former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal promised that Silchar would be pushed for inclusion in the Smart City Project. Yet, the status of this promise remains unknown to date.
Despite being in the spotlight for potential development, Silchar is grappling with a myriad of issues, particularly the deplorable state of its roads. Over the past few months, frustrated citizens have taken matters into their own hands, filling potholes after repeated requests for repairs were ignored by authorities.
Speaking to EastMojo, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Sanjeev Roy criticized the government’s indifference. “People in Silchar are suffering immensely due to the terrible condition of the roads, yet the government remains unresponsive. Every road in the town is broken and full of potholes, putting vehicles and lives at risk,” Roy said. He demanded that all dilapidated roads be repaired immediately and called for Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s intervention.
Joydeep Chakraborty, a social worker from Meherpur, echoed the concerns. “Nearly all roads in Silchar have been in disrepair for months, yet no steps are being taken to fix them. Continuous rainfall has worsened the situation, further adding to the misery of commuters,” Chakraborty lamented.
Debasmita Purkayastha, a teacher and resident of Club Road, expressed disbelief at the worsening state of the town’s infrastructure. “In the past decade, I’ve never seen Silchar’s roads in such poor condition. The road from Capital Point to Rangirkhari, a key artery for connectivity, is in a disastrous state, yet despite protests, nothing is being done,” she said.
In addition to the crumbling roads within Silchar, key routes connecting the town to distant locations, such as the Silchar-Kalain road, Silchar-Karimganj road, and Silchar-Haflong road, are also in terrible shape, primarily due to heavy rainfall over the past months. Flash floods, another chronic issue in the town, compound the problem. Many roads become submerged during the monsoon, and garbage piles up along the streets, further deteriorating the living conditions.
Earlier this week, authorities hastily carried out temporary repairs on some roads in Silchar ahead of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s three-day visit to Barak Valley (from August 22-24). This “quick fix” drew heavy criticism and mockery from locals, who took to social media to share videos and photos deriding the authorities for only acting before the chief minister’s visit.
When questioned by reporters about the road conditions, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma acknowledged the problem and assured that the roads would be repaired before Durga Puja.
Ahead of the CM’s visit, Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev urged authorities not to fix the broken roads, allowing the chief minister to witness the struggles of the people firsthand.
Meanwhile, Silchar MP Parimal Suklabaidya told EastMojo that he would raise the issue of Silchar’s deteriorating roads in Parliament and seek the Centre’s intervention to improve the surface connectivity in the region.
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