NHAI’s poor highway maintenance led to fatal accident: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma blamed poor highway maintenance by the NHAI for a fatal accident that killed seven people. The state government has demanded immediate repairs and announced compensation for the victims' families.
Why it matters
The incident has sparked a political debate regarding infrastructure quality, toll collection, and accountability between state and central authorities.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that poor highway maintenance by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) led to a fatal accident near Guwahati on August 30.
Four people died on the spot after a minibus collided with a truck at Tetelia in the Kamrup Metropolitan district. Three others later succumbed to their injuries.
“The public claimed that potholes on the National Highway caused the accident. The police, in their investigation, found that poor maintenance by the NHAI was responsible for this unfortunate accident,” the Chief Minister said after visiting the site on Monday, August 31, 2026.
He said that the NHAI awarded the road maintenance work to a contractor who failed to carry out the work properly. He also mentioned that Chief Secretary Ravi Kota spoke with the NHAI chairperson after the accident.
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