PYNURSLA: Speaker Donkupar Roy had to leave his official vehicle and take a local taxi after an SPTS bus got stuck in the muddy road after heavy rainfall triggered a landslide on the Pynursla-Nongjri road.
Roy was on his way to attend a programme at Umniuhtmar under Shella constituency. The landslide took place at 3am on Thursday and the overseer came to check the area around 9 am but till 1 pm, the JCB did not arrive to clear the road. It was only around 3 pm that the road was cleared.
What made the situation worse was the bus that was stuck in the mud. Several passengers who were on their way to Pynursla for the weekly market were stranded. The driver of the bus was nowhere to be found.
Even Roy who was unaware of the landslide got down from his official vehicle. Looking baffled and annoyed, he enquired about the situation and told the stranded passengers, “The drivers of red buses usually act like this.”
Interestingly, the landslide took place in the constituency of PWD Minister Prestone Tynsong. When others contacted the minister, his phone was switched off.
People who went to the Pynursla market, parents carrying their children on the back maneuvered their way through a small area on the side of the bus, being extra careful not to slip.
After a few minutes, Roy and Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui also did the same.
When asked on how he got to Umniuhtmar, Roy said, “I had to walk for a few minutes and fortunately, there were taxis on the way and we requested them to drop us here.”
He said it is understandable if the road was blocked due to the landslide but it was annoying if the harassment was due to the negligence of the driver.
“There was no driver. It is even more surprising that the blockade was from morning yet no action to clear the road was seen even till the daytime,” he said.
According to Roy, if the blockade takes place regularly, it will be a major loss to the public.
The speaker criticised the delay of the PWD in taking prompt action to clear the road. “In such cases of landslides, the department should not delay in taking immediate steps,” he said.
On a lighter note, Roy said, “It is good that people maintain calm otherwise had the public been angry, the bus would have rolled down the gorge.”
Meanwhile, a resident, Makashang Khongshei, said, “There are many farmers and sick people who are stranded in the block. There are also over 33 villages whose residents will visit the market.”
