SHILLONG, June 1: A Division Bench of the High Court of Meghalaya has asked the government to ensure that the regulation of the movement of goods vehicles on the Umiam bridge is not used as an excuse to inflate prices of essential commodities in the local markets.
The Court made this observation on Wednesday while disposing of a petition, filed in the public interest, pertaining to the Umiam reservoir bridge.
The court had on May 4 recorded the advice of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) that the Umiam bridge required immediate attention, possibly a replacement by a more robust structure.
An affidavit was filed on behalf of the BRO indicating that vehicles carrying more than 10 metric tonnes of load should not be allowed to use the bridge. The affidavit made the court apprehensive about the strength of the bridge and asked the state to take appropriate action.
The advocate-general submitted that the state conducted an assessment on the load-bearing capacity of the existing bridge and the scientific report obtained revealed it can withstand 20 MT vehicles from either side in tandem.
“The court does not have the expertise to go into the veracity of such assessment and leaves the state free to take whatever appropriate measures may be necessary so as to ensure that there is sufficient flow in the movement of traffic but that life and property are not endangered in any manner,” the bench said.
The state told the court that steps have been taken to invite tenders for bolstering the existing bridge or for carrying out supporting construction which would ensure the longevity of the existing bridge.
“Since the matter has now received the attention of the court and there are newspaper reports of traffic movement on the relevant bridge being regulated, it is hoped that the state would take further action upon obtaining appropriate advice from experts,” the court said.
The Division Bench stated that care must also be taken to ensure that the regulation of goods on the bridge does not lead to escalation in the prices of essential commodities in the local markets.
