JOWAI: The All Jaintia Youth Welfare Organisation (AJYWO) has threatened to resort to agitation if the State Government failed to repair the deplorable National Highway 44.
According to the AJYWO, the Jowai-Badarpur Road (NH-44) from Soomer in West Jaintia Hills to Malidor in East Jaintia Hills is in a pathetic condition and in need of urgent repair.
“East Jaintia Hills is the most neglected district and it seems that the State Government is not taking any initiative to repair this important highway,” AJYWO president M.H. Dkhar said, adding, “If the government fails to repair the road we will have no other options but to organize a series of agitational programmes.”
The AJYWO threat comes at a time when the Silchar-Lumding MG railway line in Assam has been closed for good to pave way for upgradation of the line into a broad gauge one, putting the NH-44 under additional duress as hundreds of trucks carrying essential items are now passing daily through Meghalaya to Barak Valley, Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Manipur.
Meanwhile, the AJYWO also expressed concern over the erratic power supply in East Jaintia Hills. “There are many villages which have not got electricity for months,” the AJYWO stated.
The AJYWO urged MeECL officials to take prompt action in providing regular power supply to the district, saying that the frequent power cut have affected various kinds of works and also the student community.