NONGPOH, Sep 29: Some were coerced into passing the night inside their vehicles while others traipsed to their destinations owing to a snarl-up caused by an illegal coal-laden truck, which broke down on Umrit-Umling road at Nongladew village.
As per sources, the truck (ML-06-4248), while proceeding towards Umling, broke down suddenly at Nongladew village around 3pm on Tuesday, triggering a gridlock.
Left with no choice, many stranded people decided to sleep inside their vehicles while some, utterly frustrated, chose to walk to reach their destinations.
Some infuriated commuters, who were stranded on the road, informed this scribe that this is not the first time such an incident took place, adding that people, on several occasions, had to bear the brunt in the past due to the plying of illegal coal trucks.
Informing that it already takes 3-4 hours for them to reach Nongpoh from Patharkhmah due to the deplorable road condition, the plying of overladen coal trucks is exacerbating the situation further by causing more damage to the road.
Seeking Ri Bhoi Deputy Commissioner’s intervention into the issue, they questioned as to how the coal trucks are still allowed to ply on the road from time to time.