By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Joint Action Committee (JAC), a conglomerate of Ri-Bhoi NGOs, has expressed its resentment over the report filed by the Government-constituted fact-finding panel which states that majority of the people living in Umsning stretch prefer the four-lane road to be constructed from the existing Umsning road.
JAC Chairman Donkupar Sumer told The Shillong Times that only 129 families had supported four-laning on the existing road while 127 families were against the move.
“Only two more families are in support of the construction from the existing road, which is not a majority voice,” Sumer said.
The JAC is in favour of the project being constructed on the Umsning Bypass.
The State Government had formed the committee to take the opinion of the public on whether the four-lane road should be constructed from the existing road or the Umsning Bypass.
Sumer questioned the State Government’s decision to construct the road from the existing Umsning stretch, saying, “If 127 families are against the Government decision then why is the Government still interested in constructing the four-lane road along the existing highway?”
Traffic jam hits commuters
Passengers on Sunday suffered from another bout of traffic snarl between Umiam and Shillong on NH-44.
The traffic snarl which began at around 6 pm lasted for almost five hours.
According to the police, the vehicular traffic came to a stand-still after a road accident at Umsaw in Ri-Bhoi district on Sunday evening. Cars, trucks and night buses were lined up for hours without finding a way out.
Several commuters called up The Shillong Times to narrate their plight.
The traffic police from Shillong said that they were coordinating with their Ri-Bhoi counterparts to ease the situation.
Claudia Lyngwa, SP, Ri-Bhoi district, said that the police had put off the tarring work on the highway for some hours, to allow vehicles to move on.
In May this year, commuters were stranded on the highway for over 20 hours due to severe traffic congestion that lasted throughout the night. As many as 50 passengers from Meghalaya had missed their fights then.