Assam highways to get security cover

Days before Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh left for Assam to file his nomination for a fourth consecutive Rajya Sabha term from Assam, he cleared the way for various highway development projects in the state.

Days before Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh left for Assam to file his nomination for a fourth consecutive Rajya Sabha term from Assam, he cleared the way for various highway development projects in the state. Moreover, the under-construction East-West Highway Corridor starting from Assam, which has been hit by militant attacks and threats, will soon have its own dedicated security cover.

It is learnt that at a meeting chaired by the PM it was decided that Assam8217;s demand for a dedicated security patrol for its highways will finally be addressed. The PM is said to have given the go-ahead for the creation of a dedicated force drawn from security personnel in the state. The force, with around 1,500 personnel, would be deployed along the under-construction highways. The funding for the force will be worked out in consultation with the National Highways Authority of India NHAI.

The step comes within months of a militant attack last December at a contractor8217;s camp in the Maibong hills of North Cachar region that left an engineer dead and two others injured.

The Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport 038; Highways then raised the issue of the worsening law and order situation in the state affecting work progress with the Home Ministry. The decision to carve out a security cover from Assam8217;s servicemen comes with the Home Ministry expressing its inability to spare forces under it because of election duties.

8220;Law and order problems are not new to the area, but we got very concerned after the attack last December. Around 12 contracts in the area have been hit by the threat of militancy. Progress has also been tardy because contractors are unable to work through the night due to these threats. The extortion threats are only making things worse,8221; said a senior official from the ministry. A high-level delegation from both ministries will be visiting the state within the next two weeks to assess the situation.

NHAI has projects worth around Rs 6,000 crore stretching across 678 km in Assam. Construction work is currently on over 200 km. The East-West corridor under NHDP phase II, connecting Silchar with Porbander, has been giving the NHAI a tough time with just about 3 per cent of the work completed so far.

Senior NHAI officials said they had been requesting for security cover for some time now. 8220;A fear psychosis has gripped NHAI contractors after the December attack,8221; they added. Many employees were even seeking transfers outside the state because of the threats. With a security cover around, there is hope for round-the-clock construction activity in the state, said the officials.