By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Shillong Guwahati National Highway is in pathetic condition.The scene of the highway from Umiam Lake to the city is nightmarish and fatally bad. Though there is no end to commuters and passengers’ misery in this stretch thanks to the authorities who care for nothing. Past repair works has suggested that it has only helped the contractors, PWD officials and ministers.
A resident from the town who went to Guwahati recently was annoyed by the state of affairs of the highway. “I remember when I was small there used to be continuous repairing of the highway due to heavy traffic and now there is only potholes,” she rued. “We have a four lane from Jorabat to Umiam coming up in a tiptop condition but thereafter the road till Shillong turns like a village kutcha road,” lamented a commuter.
The highway which is used by thousands of cars and heavy vehicles is also the lifeline of other states in the region. The highway is used by night super buses, trucks and other light vehicles bound for Tripura, Imphal, Mizoram, Silchar and other important places in this part of the region. “Given the number of destination that this single highway is handling it needs to be in a better shape without telling but who cares here,” lambasts a resident from the town who is working in Guwahati.
The big potholes need serious carpeting as sights of stuck and trapped vehicles serves no purpose and is adding to the woes of the city which is struggling to control the growing menace of traffic.
However, , SB Chyrmang, Chief Engineer, PWD (NH) said that the work order for repairing works from Umiam to Shillong has already been issued to a contractor. “But they cannot start the repairing work since the bituminous works cannot be undertaken in the ongoing rainy season,” he said.
Besides this stretch, the work order for the city repairing work from Civil to Upper Shillong has also been issued, informed the chief engineer.
On the allegation that the materials being used in repairing works is of sub-standard quality, the chief engineer clarified that materials used for repairing the highway is sourced from the quarries at Laitkor and is carpeted by bitumen.
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