Tura, July 19: Amongst the busiest roads in the Garo Hills region, the Agia – Medhipara – Phulbari – Tura (AMPT) road continues to be a nightmare for commuters because of it deplorable condition.
The more than 140 km road starts from Tura and ends at the Sign Board near the border of Assam. It is used by lakhs of commuters on a daily basis as it connects important towns of Assam’s Mankachar, Hatsingimari and Meghalaya’s Tura, Phulbari and Tikrikilla. The upcoming bridge between the town of Phulbari and Dhubri, across the Brahmaputra will also link to the AMPTroad in the near future.
What will, however, come as a welcome news is the confirmation from the deputy commissioner of West Garo Hills, Swapnil Tembe that the process of tendering for repairing of the road has begun and is expected to be completed by the end of the month. Work on road is expected very soon.
Currently the section between Tura to Garobadha is easily navigable while the section between Sign Board to Nidanpur is being re-laid. Earlier the Court, upon hearing complaints made by residents of the area, intervened and directed that reconstruction of the mostlt damaged sections be undertaken under its supervision.
The condition of the road between the villages of Gonglanggre in West Garo Hills to Tikrikilla is nightmarish for the commuters.
Daily reports of trucks and buses getting stuck while travelling the route has become a norm as potholes, some of which are more than a metre deep, make travel on the route extremely hazardous to even the bravest souls. Added to that is the commotion that vehicles cause while trying to use whatever little road is left on the road, which makes the situation worse.
“You actually feel bad for your car. Every time you take it out, you have to prepare yourself for repairs. There are sections in which, even if you are careful, will hit the bottom of your car. This is not an isolated thing as the entire route between Gonglanggre to Tikrikilla is the same. The distance of just over 75 kms takes us more than 5 hours to navigate on the best days. It could take double that if you are having a bad day,” said Rajabala resident, Nur Islam.
Locals reported that dust was being laid on the bad sections to make it usable until further repairs can be undertaken but it really hasn’t brought much cheer.
The situation can be gauged from the fact that till recently, an order prohibiting heavy vehicles from using the road was made by the SDO of Dadenggre, due to the condition. It was only withdrawn two weeks ago after some adjustments were made. The condition, however, is likely to return to the same in a few weeks or if the rains restart.
“This is the only state road in which a bicycle competes with a motorcycle and wins. It is not uncommon to see bicycles overtake cars, buses or trucks. The competition to bicycles and bikes come from walkers. It’s impossible to shift into 3rd gear through almost the entire route,” added Phulbari resident, SR Sangma.
For most residents, the process of road repair needs to start with immediate effect.
“It’s an absolute nightmare that we have to go through if we have to go to Guwahati. The road needs to be repaired with immediate effect. This affects everything in our life – the quality of living, medical conditions and studies. Just thinking about walking on the road makes one cringe,” said one Mankachar resident, S Bezbaruah.