NH-27 crash near Sonapur in Assam has raised serious questions over highway maintenance after seven people were killed in a minibus-truck collision. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said poor maintenance by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and potholes on the road were factors behind the fatal accident.
NH-27 crash linked to pothole and poor maintenance
The accident took place on Sunday evening, August 30, at Tetelia near Sonapur in Kamrup Metropolitan district. A passenger minibus travelling towards Guwahati from the Nagaon side reportedly hit a large pothole, lost control and crossed the divider before colliding head-on with an approaching goods truck.
Four people died at the scene, while three others later succumbed to their injuries during treatment, taking the death toll to seven. Several injured passengers were shifted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). Police said around 14 people, including the driver and helper, were travelling in the passenger vehicle. No injuries were reported among the truck occupants.
Sarma visited the accident site on Monday and said a police investigation had indicated inadequate highway maintenance as a contributing factor. He said local residents had also pointed to potholes on the highway.
Assam CM seeks immediate action from NHAI
Sarma said the NHAI generally awards maintenance work to contractors, but the contractor responsible for the affected stretch apparently failed to perform the required work properly.
According to the chief minister, Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota spoke to the NHAI chairman following the accident. The NHAI assured the state government that repairs would be carried out immediately and that maintenance would be monitored more closely in the future.
The chief minister also said the police had registered a case and would conduct a detailed investigation. He warned that action would be taken against anyone found responsible for the accident.
NH-27 crash triggers protests over road safety
The fatal accident sparked protests by local residents, who blocked the highway and later gathered at the Sonapur-Nazirakhat toll plaza. Protesters demanded urgent repairs and questioned the continuation of toll collection while the road remained in poor condition.
Residents claimed that the stretch had witnessed previous accidents because of potholes and said complaints about the road condition had not received adequate attention. The protests also renewed a wider debate over whether motorists should continue paying tolls on stretches considered unsafe.
The controversy comes as opposition leaders have also criticised the condition of Assam’s national highways. Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi accused the government of collecting tolls despite poor road conditions, while senior Congress leader Debabrata Saikia urged the Centre to suspend toll collection on unsafe highway stretches until they are repaired and certified as motorable.
Seven-day deadline for highway repairs
Following the accident, authorities directed the NHAI to repair potholes on the affected stretch within seven days. A monitoring mechanism involving officials, police representatives, the district transport office and local residents is expected to oversee the repair work and submit a compliance report.
The administration has also indicated that contractors connected with the maintenance work could face scrutiny. The focus is now on identifying how the potholes developed, whether maintenance obligations were properly fulfilled and why the road condition was not addressed before the crash.
The Assam government has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the family of each person who died. The injured passengers will receive free treatment, Sarma said. He expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said steps would be taken to prevent similar accidents.
The urgency of the issue was highlighted again on September 1 when another passenger bus reportedly met with an accident on the damaged Khetri-Sonapur stretch, a day after the fatal collision. The incident has intensified concerns over the safety of the highway and the effectiveness of ongoing maintenance.
The NH-27 crash has therefore put highway maintenance, contractor accountability and toll collection under renewed scrutiny in Assam. While the police investigation will determine individual responsibility, the government and NHAI now face pressure to repair the damaged road quickly and ensure that safety problems are identified before they lead to another tragedy.
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