Shillong, Apr 30: In a major infrastructure push for Meghalaya and the Northeast, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a transformative highway project—the Development, Maintenance and Management of a 4-lane, 166.80 km Greenfield Access Controlled Corridor on National Highway 06. The corridor will stretch from Mawlyngkhung, near Shillong in Meghalaya, to Panchgram near Silchar in Assam, with a staggering capital outlay of ₹22,864 crore.
Importantly, Meghalaya constitutes the lion’s share of the project, with 144.80 km of the total alignment traversing the state. This strategic corridor is poised to redefine regional connectivity, economic activity, and tourism in Meghalaya, passing through four key districts: Ri-Bhoi, East Khasi Hills, West Jaintia Hills, and East Jaintia Hills.
Designed as a high-speed, access-controlled Greenfield expressway under the Hybrid Annuity Mode, the corridor will dramatically reduce travel time between Shillong and Silchar while easing traffic on the existing NH-06. It will also enhance connectivity to Guwahati and open up seamless transport routes to Tripura, Mizoram, and Manipur, integrating Meghalaya more closely with the broader Northeast.
The project aligns with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, focusing on multi-modal connectivity and logistics efficiency.
In addition to its economic implications, the highway will strengthen Meghalaya’s tourism potential. With access from major airports in Guwahati, Shillong, and Silchar, the new corridor will facilitate travel to Meghalaya’s scenic and cultural destinations, enhancing the state’s profile as a tourism hub in the Northeast.
By integrating with key national highways—NH-27, NH-106, NH-206, and NH-37—the project will provide seamless connections to towns such as Diengpasoh, Ummulong, Phramer, Khliehriat, Ratacherra, and Umkiang, unlocking new development corridors across Meghalaya.
Once complete, the Shillong-Silchar high-speed corridor will not only boost inter-city travel and logistics across the Northeast but also place Meghalaya at the forefront of a new chapter in regional development, empowering local economies and supporting the larger goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The high-speed corridor, designed to traverse challenging terrain, will incorporate 34 viaducts, 19 major bridges, and 153 minor bridges, facilitating seamless connectivity across the region. It will link five PM Gati Shakti Economic Nodes, significantly enhancing regional economic integration.
The corridor beyond improving access within Assam’s Barak Valley will dramatically bolster connectivity between the mainland and the northeastern states of Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, and Manipur. “The project is poised to become the shortest and fastest freight route for trucks and heavy vehicles bound for Silchar and further east”, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari says.
He said additionally, the corridor is anticipated to catalyse tourism growth in Meghalaya, a region rapidly emerging as a prominent destination for domestic and international travellers.
