Cabinet approves Shillong-Silchar highway project of Rs 22,864 crore

New Delhi: On Wednesday, the Union Cabinet approved the development of a 166.80 km greenfield high-speed corridor from Mawlyngkhung in Meghalaya to Panchgram in Assam on a hybrid annuity basis at a total cost of Rs 22,864 crore. According to an official announcement, the 166.80 km (NH-6) project spans Meghalaya (144.80 km) and Assam (22 km).

"The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal for the development, maintenance and management of four-lane greenfield access-controlled 166.80 km of National Highway No 06 from Mawlyngkhung (near Shillong) in Meghalaya to Panchgram (near Silchar) in Assam on hybrid annuity mode…at a total capital cost of Rs 22,864 crore," according to the report.

The proposed greenfield high-speed line will increase service levels for vehicles traveling from Guwahati to Silchar, it stated. "The development of this corridor will improve connectivity to Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, and the Barak Valley region of Assam from the mainland and Guwahati with substantially reduced travel distance and travel time," it said, adding that this will contribute to the nation's logistics efficiency.