Commuters apprehend major catastrophe on Guwahati-Shillong Road
SHILLONG: The 102-kilometer-long Guwahati-Shillong Road has turned into a hotspot for landslides and mudslides with several such cases being reported since the advent of the rainy season.
Several passengers who have travelled on this strategic national highway have informed that landslides have become very common on the road due to the unscientific method of earth cutting to pave way for the ongoing Umiam-Jorabat Expressway project.
Passengers have complained that landslides have occurred in several places along the highway but luckily no one has been injured so far. They stated that landslides on the GS Road were unheard of in the past but have now become a common occurrence ever since the Expressway project was launched.
Torrential rainfall over the past one week has resulted in mudslides at several places along the highway in Ri Bhoi district.
Long stretches of hills have been dug and cut to pave way for expansion of the GS Road and the loose soil, helped by heavy rainfall, slide down onto the road carrying small trees and boulders with them.
The frequent landslides are also affecting vehicular movement leading to traffic jams on the highway resulting in endless sufferings for the commuters.
When contacted, Ri Bhoi Superintendent of Police, C.V.S. Reddy stated that landslides had occurred at Shangbangla recently and feared that electric poles along the highway could be uprooted due to the landslides leading to a catastrophe.
People have to drive very slowly in the landslide prone areas and despite obstacles traffic movement was being maintained, he said.
Meanwhile some passengers stated that the company implementing the Expressway project must take immediate measures to prevent landslides to avoid any major catastrophe in the future.