Gauhati HC Suspends NH-715 Expansion Between Kaliabor and Numaligarh

A division bench of the Gauhati High Court has suspended the expansion and reconstruction work of the four-lane National Highway-715 between Kaliabor Tiniali and Numaligarh. 

The decision came in response to Public Interest Litigation (PIL No. 38/2024) filed by 65 eminent citizens of Kaliabor, challenging the project.

The division bench of the high court ruled in favor of the petitioners after reviewing the affidavit submitted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India. Consequently, the case was dismissed with opposition to the project.

Senior Advocate Kamal Nayan Choudhury, along with Advocates Kon Kalita and Prashanta Kumar Saikia, represented the petitioners, presenting their arguments and supporting evidence before the division bench.

In the future, if the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of the Government of India conducts issues new road guidelines, the petitioners will have the liberty to file a fresh appeal in court.

Last month, the Four Lane Demand Committee, Kaliabor, strongly opposed the proposed diversion of NH-715 from Kaliabor-Tiniali, bypassing Kuwaritol, Hatbor, and Jakhalabandha. Senior advocate Upamanyu Hazarika, representing the Committee, argued that the proposed diversion will have a devastating effect on over 80,000 residents in these areas, jeopardizing their livelihoods and businesses.

On December 15, 2024, the Committee representatives had already met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in New Delhi, raising concerns over the diversion’s potential damage to the local economy and environment.

Earlier, the Gauhati High Court had directed the central government and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to clarify their positions regarding the alignment of the National Highway. A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Kaushik Goswami, heard two Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petitions challenging the decision of the authorities to approve a new alignment for the NH 715 expansion project. The petitioners contended that the current alignment, being implemented by NHAI and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), deviates from the original alignment as outlined in the MoRTH’s national highway list.