Introduction:
Assam is very much under-developed in its transportation and
communication and people still suffer from the lack of these facilities. Though
the state govt. has given much emphasis to develop this sector in various Five
Years Plans, it has not achieved the required growth yet in spite of its
tremendous demand.
Road Transport
Road transport is the most important transport system in Assam
and it bears the main responsibility of providing means of efficient transport
facilities to the people of the state. Since the other transport systems like
railways, airways etc. are not available in every corner of the state; the road
is the only means of transportation of goods from one place to another.
Due to the physical condition of the state, the construction of
road in Assam is a costly affair. Due to the heavy rainfall and flood the cost
of constructing roads in Assam is very much expensive. On the other hand, because
of the availability of too much rivers in the state, most of the fund is spent
in construction of bridges, culverts etc.
In Assam, both public and private sector provide road transport
services. The Assam State Transport Corporation was the govt. undertaking
service provider. The private based transport agencies have been expanding day
by day.
Assam is connected with 12 National Highways which are
connecting all the important places of the state. Among them, the NH-37 is the longest.
Railway Transport
With the formation of Assam Railway and Trading Company in 1981,
railway was introduced in India. Dr. John Berry White was the leader of Railway
movement in Assam. The first railway line in Assam was Dibrugarh- Streamght to
Jaipur- Road which was inaugurated in 1882.
Most important achievement in railway transport of the state
took place since the Third Year plan. During that time railway bridge was
constructed over the Brahmaputra.
Conversion of Meter Gauze lines into Broad Gauze and expansion of
railway lines to different corners of the state were the most recognizable
things during that time.
Now–a-day many passenger trains, inter-city trains run it the
state. Apart from these the railway runs a number of inter-state trains linking
Dibrugarh and Guwahati with other
important places of the country like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai
etc. Thus
the service of railway has a great importance in the economy of Assam.
Waterways
Inland waterway is another important transport system in Assam.
From the very beginning the inhabitants of Assam were conducting its trade with
the neighboring states through the water transport. Understanding the
difficulties of developing roads and railways, even the British authority in the
early part of their rule, started to develop water transport in Assam. The East
India Company started a streamer service in 1847.
Assam has a vast potential of inland water transport system. Out
of the 13,500 kms. Of navigable waters in India, Assam commands over 4066 kms.
This accounts for around one third of the total waterways. This unique position
of state’s water transport is shared by the Brahmaputra and the Barak. There
are also numerous tributaries of these two rivers.
Airways
There are six civil airports in the state, viz. Lokpriya
Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (Guwahati), Saloni (Tejpur), Rowriah
(Zorhat), Mohanbari (Dibrugarh), Lilabari (Lakhimimpur) and Kumbhiragram (Silchar).
Air India, Vayudoot and private commercial airlines such as Sahara, Jet Airways
etc. have been operating air services in the state connecting the state with
other parts of the world.
Though the air transport in Assam is not an improved one, yet it
is functioning a vital role as the quickest mode of transport in Assam.
Thanks for adding value to the discussion. Also check the wheatfield town court
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