Haflong | The deteriorating condition of National Highway-27 at Nriambanglo, including the tunnel along the Silchar-Saurashtra East-West Corridor, has raised safety concerns among commuters and residents, who have urged authorities to undertake immediate repairs.

The road surface inside the tunnel has deteriorated significantly, with bitumen wearing away at several places and large potholes appearing across the carriageway, locals said.Some of the potholes are reportedly deep and pose a risk to vehicles, particularly during night hours when visibility inside the tunnel is poor.According to local residents and regular commuters, the damaged stretch has remained in poor condition for a considerable period despite concerns being raised over its repair.

They claimed that vehicles have met with accidents after hitting potholes along the stretch.“The situation becomes particularly dangerous at night as drivers are unable to clearly see the potholes and damaged portions of the road,” a regular commuter said.The condition of the highway has also reportedly been discussed in meetings involving the Dima Hasao district administration, the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council and officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

However, commuters alleged that there has been little visible progress towards repairing the damaged portion inside the Nriambanglo tunnel.Several other stretches of NH-27 between Hatikhali and Nriambanglo are also reportedly in poor condition. In some locations, the road surface has peeled off, while potholes have developed at multiple points.