Rs 414 crore ADB-backed plan to ease Aizawl traffic: what it includes

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Monday chaired a review of the Rs 414.04 crore Aizawl Sustainable Urban Transport Project (ASUTP), which aims to cut traffic congestion and improve public transport in the state capital, Hub News reported.

The project is supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the externally aided project route. Its first phase is scheduled to be carried out between the financial years 2027-28 and 2030-31. The Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation (UD&PA) Department is the implementing agency.

What the project covers

A presentation by UD&PA Director Jacob Lalawmpuia set out the main components:

• upgrades to the public transport fleet and new depot terminals;
• electric vehicle charging stations;
• improvements to road junctions, footpaths and parking;
• work on three major city corridors: Kulikawn-Bawngkawn, Temple Square-Vaivakawn and Bawngkawn-Ramhlun;
• regional bus and maxi cab terminals at Muallungthu, Sihhmui and Bungbangla;
• truck terminals at Sihhmui and Bungbangla to manage heavy vehicles.

Another proposal is to build several links between Aizawl's inner arterial roads and the Aizawl Western Bypass, which is under construction, so that heavy through-traffic can avoid congested city roads.

Participants also discussed placing cold storage and wholesale farm markets next to the planned regional terminals to support local trade.

Buses must be clean and punctual, CM says

Lalduhoma said buses and other public transport must be clean, well managed and on time if people are to be persuaded to use their private vehicles less. He also asked officials to plan infrastructure along highways beyond the current city limits, and to identify likely bottlenecks before real estate development spreads into the surrounding peri-urban areas.

The meeting at the Chief Minister's Conference Hall was attended by cabinet ministers, senior officials, traffic authorities and civil society representatives, including the Central Young Mizo Association (YMA), the Aizawl City Bus Owners' Association and local taxi associations.

Aizawl is built along steep ridges with narrow roads, and traffic jams on its main stretches are a daily complaint for commuters. With limited flat land for new roads, the project leans on better buses, terminals outside the core city and bypass links rather than large-scale road widening.

Second ADB-backed project this month

The transport review comes shortly after Mizoram received about Rs 205 crore from the ADB as the first tranche of a loan for its universal healthcare scheme. NEInsider will report further on the transport project as tenders and timelines are announced.