SHILLONG, June 5: The High Court of Meghalaya on Monday directed the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to repair the entire stretch of National Highway 6 from Thadlaskein to Ratacherra and keep it in tip-top shape before the advent of monsoon.
Hearing a petition filed by Kynjaimon Amse, the bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice
Wanlura Diengdoh said that the state government has submitted before the court that more or less 75% of the stretch of the road between Thadlaskein and Mihmyntdu on the Jowai Bypass has been repaired and the remainder of the work is going on.
“The petitioner does not dispute the state’s submission in such regard, but refers to the scope of the petition which pertains to the entire stretch of the National Highway till Ratacherra. The petitioner submits that despite the previous assertion of the NHAI to the effect that the entirety of the stretch except the Jowai bypass of slightly less than 8 km has been repaired, certain photographs need to be seen that reveal the current state of stretches of road at Lumshnong and several other places,” the court said.
The court pointed out that even before the monsoons have set in, large tracts of the principal thoroughfare through the state into the Barak Valley in Assam would be in such pitiable condition as demonstrated by the photographs (taken on June 1, 2023), despite the recent repair thereof.
“Since the NHAI seeks some time to ascertain the position, let the matter appear on June 13. It is hoped that the entire stretch of the highway in the state till Ratacherra, including the Jowai Bypass, would be in tip-top shape even as the monsoons hit in the next fortnight,” the order said.
