Guwahati: Construction on a four-lane national highway in Assam’s Dima Hasao district remains stalled. Residents from five villages stopped work over unpaid compensation for land, homes, and crops. The project, managed by Dineshchandra R. Agrawal Infracon Private Limited, has been paralyzed for nine days.
More than 100 families are caught in the squeeze. Despite two years of promises, the National Highways Authority of India has not paid them. Villagers demanded a stop to the project on August 31. This move blocked progress on the Jatinga-Harangajao stretch, where two lanes opened on August 25.
NHAI Regional Officer Sabyasachi Choudhury met village heads at Kapurchera on Tuesday. Additional Deputy Commissioner A.K. Iliyas Nasim Ahmed, DSP Raghav Baishya, and Land and Revenue Officer Jaisoraj Garlosa also attended. Officials asked for 45 days to pay up, eventually cutting that to 30 days. Choudhury told the group, "the outstanding compensation would be paid within 30 days."
The villagers rejected the offer. They noted that past assurances led nowhere. The village heads said they could not speak for the families without a vote. Consultations across the five villages are set to follow. No machines will turn until those families weigh in on the deal.
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