SHILLONG: The National Highway 44 which connects Meghalaya with Assam and other North Eastern states is one of the most accident prone roads in the region which has claimed many lives over the years with the most recent tragedy being the death of one person of a Tripura-bound bus that fell into a deep gorge at Ratacherra in East Jaintia Hills.
Earlier, on January 25, 10 people of an Assam-bound bus were killed when the vehicle rolled down a hill at Tongseng in East Jaintia Hills.
In a ray of hope for the commuters who frequent this highway, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is all set to start the Jowai-Malidor two-lane road project at an estimated cost of Rs 452 crore.
Taking note of the frequent accidents, the agency has decided to focus on the bad patches of the road in the areas such as Malidor, Umkiang, Sonapur and Ratacherra on a priority basis.
Speaking on the matter, officials from NHAI said that GR Infrastructure has already set up its camps in Umkiang and mixers plants have also been placed in the area to ensure that repairing work is taken up at the earliest.
According to officials, initially, the implementing agency would start the construction work on the three major bridges and all the bad patches in Malidor, Umkiang, Sonapur and Ratacherra. The construction work for the project would also go on simultaneously.
Officials also informed that the NHAI had earlier allotted around Rs 13 crore to the state PWD for repairing of the road and few installments were also released but the department could not complete the work.
“The NHAI would reclaim the amount,” officials said.
When asked about the perennial problem of landslides along the route, official sources said that the NHAI wants to acquire more land to avoid the problem.
However, sources said that the NHAI will have to obtain forest clearance from the Central Government since the Narpuh Wildlife Forest Reserve falls along the route.
It may be mentioned that the proposed upgradation of NH 44 from Jowai in West Jaintia Hills to Malidor on the Meghalaya-Assam border, which was scheduled to start in 2014 was delayed due to various reasons.
The expansion work of the arterial NH 44 has been approved under Phase III of the National Highway Development Programme.
