By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 26: The Ri-Bhoi district administration has decided to write to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) seeking clarification on whether certain structures along the Umiam-Jorabat four-lane road fall under encroachment on the highway’s Right of Way (ROW).
Encroachment along the highway has been a recurring issue, as shopkeepers frequently set up stalls dangerously close to the road, putting their own lives at risk. At the very start of the highway near Umiam, several roadside stalls have come up, prompting the district administration to seek confirmation from NHAI on whether these establishments constitute encroachment.
Ri-Bhoi Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal stated that the NHAI typically informs the district administration about encroachments along the ROW, after which joint inspections are conducted and necessary action is taken. “In such cases, the administration issues notices, and many encroachers vacate the area on their own,” Baranwal said.
Recently, the administration carried out an eviction drive along the ROW in the Byrnihat area, where a sawmill and several temporary shops were removed.
While acknowledging that everyone has the right to earn a livelihood, the administration has expressed concern over the risks posed by roadside vending, especially when vendors sit just a few metres away from fast-moving vehicles along the highway.
It may be recalled that in 2020, five people lost their lives when a goods-laden lorry ploughed through a group of roadside vendors along the Shillong Bypass. Among the deceased were four women who were selling local produce when the speeding truck first hit a stationary dumper and then veered into the vendors.