Concerns over potential land acquisition and anti-encroachment drives have resurfaced along the busy arterial stretch connecting Chittaranjan Statue Point (National Highway Point) and Rangirkhari. On Saturday, August 29, a specialized survey team equipped with high-precision satellite-based GPS receivers was spotted establishing boundaries and marking coordinates along both sides of the thoroughfare.
The survey drive comes as geotechnical testing for the multi-crore Capital Point to Rangirkhari Elevated Corridor reaches its final stages, shifting administrative focus toward ground clearing, service road layout, and right-of-way (RoW) recovery.
Service Road Expansion Drives New Demarcation
While the physical structure of the proposed elevated corridor will span 3.462 km from Capital Point to Rangirkhari, engineering requirements for lower-level traffic management demand significant ground clearance beyond the main flyover footprint.
To maintain uninterrupted traffic flow connecting the National Highway network down to Capital Point, the Public Works Department (PWD) requires unhindered space for:
-
Dual 5.5-meter wide service lanes on either side of the central single-pillar structure.
-
Re-aligned and widened storm-water side drains.
-
Approach ramps and transition zones at the Rangirkhari junction.
Because urban space along Silchar’s central corridors remains severely constricted due to roadside commercial establishments and historical encroachments, precise spatial alignment has become critical.
Rectifying Past Demarcation Discrepancies
The deployment of GPS surveying technology—which uses Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) satellite signals to determine millimeter-level coordinates—is also aimed at resolving long-standing controversies regarding prior road projects in the area.
During the previous four-laning and drain construction drive between Rangirkhari and Kathal Point, local residents and civic observers alleged irregularities and partiality in boundary demarcation. These discrepancies left significant portions of public land either unverified or illegally occupied.
By running satellite-guided mapping from Chittaranjan Statue Point through Rangirkhari, PWD officials aim to establish an incontrovertible baseline of state-owned land, ensuring that public space originally lost to drain encroachments is fully reclaimed before major civil construction begins.
Project Status: Test Piling Nears Completion
The ground survey aligns with rapid structural progress on the geotechnical front. All three preliminary test piles—located at Rangirkhari, the PHE Campus on Hospital Road, and Club Road—have been successfully cast.
| Project Phase | Current Execution Status |
| Geotechnical Boring & Test Piles | 100% Completed (3 of 3 Test Piles Cast) |
| Concrete Curing Phase | Nearing Completion (28-day hydration period) |
| Hydraulic Load Testing | Scheduled to commence shortly |
| Ground Alignment & GPS Survey | Active (Demarcation underway from August 29) |
| Land Acquisition & Utility Shifting | Next operational phase post-load certification |
Once the curing period concludes, geotechnical engineers will conduct hydraulic compression load testing on the test piles to certify subsoil load capacity. Upon receiving structural validation, PWD will initiate formal utility shifting (electricity poles, water supply lines) and issue necessary land acquisition notices to launch full-scale production piling for the permanent central piers.
