By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 26: Several members of the House on Monday called for a new policy on maintenance of the roads in the state, and to their delight, they found an assurance.
Participating in a discussion during the ongoing Assembly session, Mawkyrwat MLA Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar lamented that potholes start developing on the roads within a few months leaving a majority of the people dissatisfied with the road maintenance work.
Asking the government to come up with a new policy on road maintenance, Lyngdoh said that details of the contractor assigned with the maintenance work should be displayed on the roads.
He also requested Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to introduce an initiative like others, while suggesting a name for the scheme: “CM Meghalaya Road Maintenance”.
Umsning MLA Dr Celestine Lyngdoh pointed out that there is a mismatch between the specifications of the road and the load carried by vehicles, which leads to newly built roads getting damaged within 3-4 months.
Shella MLA Balajied Kupar Synrem told the House that many of the roads in Sohra and Shella are not maintained. Hence, many tourists do not visit these areas, he added.
Responding to the concerns, the Chief Minister pointed out several factors that lead to road damage including heavy traffic, potholes climatic conditions and operational factors.
The CM said a massive review of the PWD was held which led to the formation of the Integrated Transport Network Development plan, which focuses on different aspects of road construction and maintenance.
He told the House that there will be a new approach to road-related work in the state. Proposals would be submitted at a fixed time of the year so that tendering, allotment and construction of roads can be taken up as planned, the CM said.
The PWD had, last year, engaged a consultant to develop a web-enabled GIS-based Road Asset Management System for effective management of roads and bridge assets.
Informing that an amount of Rs 414 crore is allocated for maintenance of roads, the CM, however, added that Rs 113 crore was spent on committed liabilities.