Centre acts on Tripura CM’s plea; NHIDCL chief to review state's roads on August 10

Agartala, Aug 7: National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) Managing Director Krishan Kumar is scheduled to visit Tripura on August 10 to review the ongoing construction and maintenance works of national highways across the State, a release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Wednesday.

The visit comes in response to an appeal by Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, who raised the issue with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, over poor condition of the 12-km Khowai-Kamalpur stretch of the National Highway 208.

In a letter dated May 10, Dr Saha urged the Union minister to expedite repair works on the critical stretch. Acting on the matter, Gadkari informed the Chief Minister that a team from the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) had conducted an inspection of the highway section between July 23 and 27. The team is expected to submit its report to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) by August 15.

The CMO release noted that the Chief Minister has repeatedly followed up the issue with the Union minister.

Meanwhile, State PWD Secretary Kiran Gitte was directed to monitor the matter closely and ensure effective coordination with the Central ministry.

As part of the follow-up, Gitte recently conducted inspections across multiple stretches of the NH-208 in the districts of Khowai, Unakoti, Dhalai, and North Tripura, accompanied by officials from the NHIDCL and the State PWD. During the visit, Gitte instructed the NHIDCL to accelerate the repair works and complete it before the upcoming Durga Puja festival.

The forthcoming visit of the NHIDCL Managing Director is seen as a crucial step in addressing long-standing issues with Tripura’s national highways, which play a vital role in connectivity and regional development.

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Correspondent