First highway under Assam Mala scheme to completion

26 Sep 2022 CW Team

The first construction project under the Assam Mala scheme, the Palashbari-Chandubi two-lane highway, will be completed within a week, according to Kartik Biswas, the executive engineer of South Kamrup Territorial Road Division. “The construction will be completed six months ahead of the stipulated time,” he said.

The highway will connect South Kamrup to the Assam-Meghalaya border in West Guwahati. It will cut the travel time from Mirza to Chandubi (32 km) from one and a half hours to 40 minutes. The new highway has been built alongside the river Brahmaputra and stretches from Palashbari to Chandubi.

The two-lane highway passes by Mirza, Barihat, Loharghat, Borduar and Muduki. It was planned to be 26 km long, but after protests against two-laning the highway on this particular stretch, Assam Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma called off the construction of a 6-km stretch which has the Borduar Reserve Forest to its north and Mayang Hill Reserve Forest to its south.

The protests had erupted back in August after around 2,000 trees which are 100-150 years old were earmarked to be felled for the purpose. The highway has now been expanded to a two-lane only until Muduki. The 6-km stretch beyond Muduki has been kept single-lane and construction has been halted.

However, even while constructing the existing stretch, thousands of century-old high value trees were felled. Many high-value trees have been planted again by the officials and villagers, even if their survival rates are fairly low.

Resources

05 May 2026

IGBC Hyderabad Chapter Appoints Cybercity MD as Co-Chairman

Indian Green Building Council has appointed Venu Vinod, Managing Director of Cybercity Builders and Developers, as Co-Chairman of its Hyderabad Chapter.The appointment comes as Hyderabad continues to strengthen its position as a key hub for sustainable urban development and green building adoption. With over two decades of experience in real estate and a broader business career spanning multiple sectors, Vinod has been associated with promoting environmentally responsible development practices.Under his leadership, Cybercity Builders has integrated sustainability principles aligned with IGBC�..

Hettich Ludhiana HeX Store Expands North India Presence

Hettich India has launched a Hettich Exclusive (HeX) store in Ludhiana, expanding its experiential touchpoints in North India during its silver jubilee year in the country.The new store offers an integrated, solution-led retail experience with curated walk-throughs of contemporary furniture featuring German fittings, architectural hardware, lighting systems and built-in kitchen appliances. It also provides free design services, enabling customers to visualise and customise furniture solutions for their living spaces.Rahul Thakkar, Director – Sales, Hettich India, said, “Ludhiana’s transf..

JSW One Acquires BuildNext to Strengthen Home Platform

JSW One Platforms has acquired BuildNext Construction Solutions to strengthen its presence in India’s home construction and renovation segment.The acquisition builds on JSW One’s existing platform, JSW One Homes, enhancing its ability to offer integrated services spanning materials procurement, design, execution and project management to individual home builders, contractors and homeowners.As part of the transaction, Pidilite Ventures will transfer its stake in BuildNext to JSW One through a share-swap arrangement, while continuing to participate in the company’s growth.The integration c..