Our Bureau
JOWAI/SHILLONG, Oct 16: The Khliehriat Circle of the Jaintia National Council (JNC) on Monday wrote to the East Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner, Abhishek Baranwal, requesting him to water the NH-6 at Khliehriat to reduce dust pollution.
In a letter, the council said the escalating problem of dust pollution on NH-6 Khliehriat needs to be addressed urgently.
“With the rapid increase in vehicular traffic and other activities along the highway, it has become evident that dust pollution has reached a critical level. This not only poses a health risk to commuters but also affects nearby residential areas, markets, pedestrians, students, and the overall environment,” it said.
Consequently, immediate measures need to be taken to ameliorate the situation, the council said.
In a meeting with the DC, education secretary Diamond Bareh said, “One effective way of combating dust pollution is to regularly water the highway.”
By dampening the road surface, dust particles are suppressed, thereby reducing their dispersion into the surrounding atmosphere. This practice has been successfully implemented in neighbouring towns and has proven to be a cost-effective solution, the JNC said.
The council also asked the National Highways Authority of India to take responsibility and devise an action plan to combat dust pollution comprehensively, as it will help develop guidelines for the maintenance and watering process, it said.
The JNC also filed a complaint to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway to direct the NHAI for maintenance of the NH-6 road in Khliehriat and the Jowai-Ratacherra stretch.
The NHAI in its reply stated that two contractors – SL Infra Ltd and MR Ltd – were engaged to do the needful. The council said the work should get started if the weather is good in the coming days.
“We believe that by taking these steps promptly, we can reduce the adverse effects of dust pollution on the health of our citizens and the environment,” a member of the council said.
The DC assured the JNC that he would forward its suggestions to the officials concerned for watering the road twice a day during school hours for the sake of the health of the students.
The pitiable condition of NH-6, especially the 30-km stretch between Sonapur and Ratacherra, drew an angry response from the High Court of Meghalaya which slammed the NHAI, saying: “…it is a shame that the court has to remind a central body like the NHAI as to what its duties and responsibilities may be…”
Cutting across party lines, MPs from the Northeast led by Vincent H Pala met the Union Minister for Roads and Transport, Nitin Gadkari in September and urged him to help NH-6 improve and expand it to six lanes to address the increased movement of passenger and goods vehicles across Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura.