From Our Correspondent
JOWAI: The omnipresent traffic congestion along the arterial National Highway 44, Jowai-Badarpur Road, and section in Jaintia Hills is hardly going to ease unless locals, NGOs and truckers cooperate with the police and district administration for the purpose.
Jaintia Hills district traffic police wing which is handicapped by manpower shortage, has called for cooperation from all concerned to solve the problem.
The perennial congestion along the road that links Meghalaya to Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur via South Assam’s Barak Valley, has severely affected normal life of people in Jaintia Hills.
Obviously, the clogged section of the vital highway in areas like Moowakhu, Ladrymbai, Mookhep, Kongong, Phramer not only affects inter-city commuters but also travelers from neighbouring states. Residents of Jaintia Hills District in particular have registered complaints on several occasions with the authority about traffic problem along the road.
All Jaintia Youth Welfare Organization (AJYWO) and the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Jaintia Hills District Unit are some of the leading NGOs which recently met Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner over the issue.
The traffic jam has affected the life of our people socially and economically, President AJYWO, MH Dkhar stated. He also pointed out the danger posed to lives of seriously ill patients who needs to be transported for better treatment along this road.
The NGOs expressed anguish over the one kilometer long queue of coal-laden trucks stranded along the road right from Tuber-Shohshrieh village till the weighbridge of the Transports department at Hynniawmer.
“We are not against the weighing of coal laden trucks but are concerned about the inconvenience faced by commuters,” said the general secretary of the KSU’s Jaintia Hills District Unit. He said commuters travelling in taxis or private vehicles have to remain stranded behind such coal-laden trucks for long hours. The situation leads to flouting of traffic rules as stranded drivers often run out of patience and that in turn causes fatal accidents on occasions.The NGOS have demanded construction of a separate lane for coal-laden trucks in the area. Police personnel in the district are a helpless lot as they are hamstrung by manpower crunch.According to Jaintia Hills Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Nazarius Lamare, the main cause of traffic jam in Jaintia hills is due to the indifferent attitude of truckers who hardly obey traffic rules. The police official has urged local residents, NGOs and truckers to work in tandem with the district police and the district administration, to help ease traffic jam.