As Meghalaya inches closer to the election scheduled for February 2023, every scheme is aimed at winning elections and not to meet the real exigencies of the people. Some roads falling in the constituencies of opposition MLAs are left unrepaired. A good example are the roads and lanes in Mawlai which have not been repaired in a long time despite the area seeing heavy traffic diverted from the Mawlai junction towards Polo. Several other roads across the state are in a dilapidated condition in Jaintia Hills. West Khasi Hills, Garo Hills et al. The fact that roads have to be repaired annually suggests that they have not been made according to specifications. The engineers that certify the road-worthiness of such roads don’t have an inbuilt code of ethics. All have compromised; all engineers give completion certificates knowing fully well that the roads are meant to last only one season. Climate experts suggest that the present road engineering model is not sustainable and we are seeing how landslides have occurred due to poor earth-cutting or because the geological study of the area about to be cut was by-passed without ascertaining the carrying capacity of the roads. Why have a Department of Mining and Geology if the Department is only meant to prospect for minerals? Should there not be a convergence between the Department of Mining and Geology and the PWD (Roads)?
People of Meghalaya are inured to bad roads and bad governance. Very few do RTI to find out how much was spent on a certain road project and if the quality of the road is commensurate with the money spent. Several parts of this country have the propensity to flood during the monsoons. Road-making with bitumen and asphalt or chip seal is so far the only common way in road construction and because of the compromise in quality and content used, such roads don’t last beyond a season. Cement concrete are rarely being used. If used they are only for small link roads inside localities even though concrete roads are able to handle both heat, floods and loads better without need for frequent maintenance. Another important aspect is the absence of drains on both sides of the road thereby allowing the heavy rain water to erode the bituminous roads. Meghalaya might be the only State that has roads without drains. In neighbouring Assam road projects are being aggressively taken up and completed within short deadlines. Not so in Meghalaya! The reason? People don’t seek accountability. There is no mechanism for holding the Government to account for corruption at every level. The public has only one route for addressing corruption; they have to knock on the doors of the courts. Too much public money in Meghalaya is diverted to private pockets. This has to end!
