SHILLONG: A Garo Hills-based forum has raised concerns over poorly maintained pot-holed roads in the region, especially the NH-51.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Achik Indigenous Justice Initiative Forum said a large section of the newly repaired NH-51 road in Garo Hills has already started to be damaged.
The highway was constructed by Guwahati-based RR Construction Company owned by M.P Agarwala.
A few potholes have popped up within one-and-a-half month of its construction.
Cracks over patchworks have also started to appear, the forum said.
“RR Construction has been engaged in construction of few more roads and buildings in Garo Hills, but shoddy works have been done,” the forum alleged.
The stretch between Phulbari Ginning mill to Maulakandi Road is being constructed on faulty lines.
The AMPT road that is in a deplorable condition and the school building at Tikrikilla and Williampur funded by the Asian Development Bank are also being compromised by the use sub-standard firewall bricks, the statement said.
“Despite RR Construction continuously carrying out sub-standard and shoddy works which on the long run is misutilisation of public money, it has still been able to get contracts of new projects in Garo Hills,” the forum pointed out.
According to the Garo Hills based forum, the potholed roads are a common sight across rural and urban areas in Meghalaya, especially during and after monsoon.
“Every year crores of rupees are spent by the highway agencies on extensive pothole patch repairs. This ritual is repeated year after year despite the fact that due to potholes several accidents were reported causing serious injuries and in many casualties,” the forum said.
According to the forum, Meghalaya is losing thousands of crores every year in terms of loss of wage hours, among others.
