Tura, July 22: A resident of Walbakgre in Tura has submitted a petition to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma urging him to look into the widening of the town’s roads at several places, to ensure safety of both motorists and pedestrians alike, as well as to ease traffic congestion.
Local resident Cherian Momin, in his petition, pointed out that the failure to widen the town’s roads at Rongkhon, Chandmary, Ringrey, Hawakhana, Tura Bazar, Nakam Bazar, Araimile and others was the main cause of traffic snarls during the day.
“The widening of these roads will promote better communication for the economic development of trade and commerce as Tura remains the focal point of commerce for the whole region in Garo Hills. At many places in and around Tura town, contractors have not re-laid the full width of roads, leading to uneven surfaces and accidents. It seems that the work was carried out in haste. The half-hearted work is causing resentment among motorists,” Momin maintained.
Alleging that corruption, inadequate supervision of the quality of work, and overloading of vehicles beyond the allowed capacity are the reason behind the town’s bad roads, Momin said that there should be mobile maintenance teams with specified operational areas to ensure speedy restoration of damage portions.
Recalling the heavy fines imposed recently by the administration for traffic violations, Momin said that it however failed to improve the condition of roads.