SHILLONG, Aug 5: After the loss of lives in a mishap at Rngain near Lyngkyrdem on Sunday evening, the State Youth Wing of the VPP has lashed out at Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who is also the MLA of Pynursla, for acting only after the tragic accident that claimed the lives of five members of a family.
Speaking to reporters after meeting officials of the NHIDCL regional office on Tuesday, VPP State Youth Wing president Marbud Dkhar said this was not the first fatal accident along the stretch of road, yet no preventive action had been taken earlier.
Dkhar questioned why Tynsong had failed to issue necessary directives to the NHIDCL contractor executing the road project before the tragedy occurred.
“We want to ask whether the Deputy Chief Minister has not seen the difficulties faced by his own constituents due to the dangers posed by the ongoing road widening work,” Dkhar stated.
He further alleged that Tynsong appears to be out of touch with the ground realities.
“It seems like he visits his constituency by helicopter, since he appears completely unaware of the hazards faced by people using this road to reach Pynursla,” he said.
The VPP Youth Wing also demanded that the government provide compensation to the next of kin of the deceased family members.
Dkhar highlighted that locals had earlier accused the contractor of failing to install proper barricades or safety measures to protect commuters.
Earlier on Monday, Deputy CM Tynsong had stated that he had sought a detailed report on the incident and directed NHIDCL to install signage along all vulnerable stretches of the under-construction road.
According to Tynsong, the accident occurred around 7.30 pm on Sunday, amid heavy fog after the Laitlyngkot area.
“I was informed that there was dense fog and the vehicle, while trying to overtake a truck, went off the road,” he said, adding that he has instructed the contractor, NHIDCL and local authorities to ensure proper road signage is installed.
The Chief Engineer of NHIDCL is also scheduled to visit the vulnerable areas on Wednesday to assess the situation and ensure that the signage is put up accordingly.
