It’s time to conduct a study on the average daily accidents that occur on the Guwahati-Shillong-Jowai-Silchar road. The other day a woman who was taken to hospital because of a complicated delivery died on the way because the ambulance could not make it through the traffic jam. It’s become commonplace for commuters to be stuck for 12-18 hours on the GS Road. While one reason is the four-laning work that is going on in full swing, the other more important reason is the sudden increase in the number of coal bearing trucks. The number has almost trebled since last year. Most of the vehicles are no longer road-worthy and break down in the middle of the road, thereby creating a major traffic jam. Other reasons are unregulated traffic caused by rash drivers who break all the rules of the road. This happens because in large stretches of the GS Road there are no traffic police to keep a check on errant drivers. When a heavy vehicle turns turtle on the highway there are not enough heavy cranes to pull them up and out of the main road. The facilities for dealing with vehicle breakdown are still very inadequate and archaic. These need to be strengthened along with the manpower.
Travelling along the national highways of Meghalaya has become a risky business. The fear of missing a flight or a train could give the passenger a lot of anxiety. But apart from that there is the fear of losing a life or limb since the empty trucks on their return journey drive at break-neck speed. Despite the warning by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) that speed thrills but kills, truck drivers tend to hurtle up the roads since they are not booked for driving beyond the speed limit. In fact vigilance over rash driving is almost non-existent. Then the duplication of check-gates at points that tend to clog the roads is something that needs immediate redressal. In fact a more scientific management of traffic not just along the highway but even within the city is an imperative. We cannot afford to lose precious lives simply because the highway is literally outside the purview of the law. Those who have lost their near and dear ones on the highway mainly because of rash driving by someone else ought to make common cause and raise the banner of revolt against an insouciant government. In 2012, traffic management must be the key issue before the MUA Government.