By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 21: A day after a landslide claimed two lives inside a vehicle at Mawlieh along the Shillong-Dawki Road, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, announced plans for further land acquisition to permanently resolve recurring landslides.
Tynsong called the incident unfortunate and revealed he had directed the SDO (Civil), police, NHIDCL, and the implementing agency to investigate its cause.
“The team visited the site and decided to close the road for a few days,” he said, urging commuters to bear with the inconvenience. “Since the portion is unsafe, we plan to acquire more land to fix the problem once and for all.”
Meanwhile, the Hynniewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) filed a public interest petition in the Meghalaya High Court on Tuesday, seeking urgent intervention over rising accidents on the Shillong-Pynursla-Dawki Road amid ongoing widening and construction work.
The petition followed Monday’s fatal incident near Lyngkyrdem—a stretch notorious for landslides due to hill-cutting.
HYC highlighted unsafe conditions, including missing warning signs, barricades, reflective markers, and poor road diversions, which have caused multiple crashes, injuries, and vehicle damage.
The council warned of more potential fatalities without action and urged the court to direct the state government, NHIDCL, and PWD to implement safety measures, conduct a road safety audit, regulate traffic in construction zones, and hold authorities accountable.
“Development must not come at the cost of human lives—public safety is paramount,” the HYC emphasised.
