NHAI’s poor highway maintenance led to fatal accident: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Angry locals stopped operations at the Nazirakhat toll plaza after a minibus-truck collision killed seven people on August 30
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma blamed poor highway maintenance by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for a fatal accident near Guwahati on August 30. The crash occurred when a minibus collided with a truck at Tetelia in Kamrup Metropolitan district, resulting in four deaths and three more fatalities due to injuries.
Sarma visited the site on Monday, August 31, after the incident, stating that the authorities found NHAI's lack of maintenance responsible for the accident. He alleged that the NHAI awarded the road maintenance work to an unqualified contractor. Sarma also mentioned that Chief Secretary Ravi Kota spoke with NHAI's chairperson after the accident, and the chairperson promised immediate repairs and closer monitoring of future maintenance work.
The government announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh for each victim's family. The incident sparked outrage among locals, who halted operations at the Nazirakhat toll plaza near the accident site. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticized the state's national highways, alleging a "Minister-contractor nexus" and poor maintenance, especially on the route from Guwahati to Tinsukia.
Gogoi also accused the BJP government of collecting tolls while failing to provide safe roads, stating that taxpayers' money was wasted due to this nexus.
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