From Our Special
Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Sep 23: Cutting across party lines, MPs from Northeast, led by Shillong MP Vincent H Pala, met the Union Minister for Roads and Transport, Nitin Gadkari, and urged him to take up urgent repair of the National Highway-6 (NH-6) and expand it to six lanes to address the surge in passenger and goods traffic of Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram and Tripura from the rest of the country.
The MPs Gadkari in Parliament and also submitted a copy of their joint letter, Pala said. “We apprised the Union minister over the deteriorating condition of NH-6 that connects Shillong, Meghalaya, with Silchar, Mizoram, and Tripura,” Pala said after the meeting.
The vital road connecting multiple border states is in a dilapidated condition which has caused immense inconvenience to the people, posing a significant threat to their life and safety, the MPs said. They urged the centre to repair the road immediately and bring it to a safe and serviceable condition including filling up potholes, repairing damaged sections, and ensuring proper road markings and signage for the safety of commuters.
MPs also pointed to exponential growth in traffic at the Highway, and proposed the widening of NH-6 to six lanes to accommodate the increasing volume of vehicles and ensure smooth traffic flow. This expansion will help in facilitating economic growth and connectivity in the entire Northeast region, they said.
The MPs also urged the Ministry to maintain the crucial road link which is considered the lifeline of the region, after completion of the repair work and expansion. They also produced photographic evidence of the poor road condition at several patches, Pala added.
The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) had threatened to block the entire road from Monday for a week during day time if the NHAI does not take up repair work immediately. Earlier this month the NH-6 witnessed heavy mudslide and the recently-built Sonapur tunnel was blocked for which traffic had to be stopped for some days.