PHULBARI, July 8: The Agia-Medhipara-Phulbari-Tura (AMPT) road has once again come into focus following complaints from residents that its dilapidated condition makes travelling on it feel like a journey to hell.
The section in question, a 22-km stretch between the villages of Rajabala and Phulbari, was last seriously repaired over three years ago but began to deteriorate just six months after the repairs.
“It takes more than 1.5 hours to commute between Rajabala and Phulbari. In fact, in no section of the road can your car achieve third gear as there is hardly any recognisable road left. It is difficult to even walk on the road, forget driving,” said a resident this afternoon at New Bhaitbari, which also falls along the same route.
Residents said that for the past two years, they have not experienced peace while commuting due to the condition of the road.
“The moment you get on the road, your back and thigh muscles start pulling. The situation is so bad that when women go for delivery, they deliver their babies on the road itself just because of the impossible number of jerks that the road provides,” added another.
Repairs that have been undertaken so far are only in name, with the same being done using mud and large stones.
“Currently, cosmetic repairs are being done, but this is not the right way to repair the road. When it rains, these repairs become slushy as they contain only mud and a few stones. During dry weather, it becomes dusty. We have reported this to the department several times, but they continue to ignore the problems we are faced with,” said another resident.
The road falls under the PWD’s NEC section and is due to be upgraded to National Highway-217, which will connect all major highways in the Garo Hills region.
“What can we say? The government does not listen to us and does not care. Earlier, they repaired the road with cement blocks that made the situation worse. This is corruption, and the government does not act, possibly because they too are involved. I have just come back from Ampati and saw the ten-year-old road that is still intact, and then we see this road. Why are we the ones to suffer? This is definitely due to the corruption of the government,” added the group of residents during a conversation.
