SHILLONG-DAWKI HIGHWAY COLLAPSE
SHILLONG, July 9: Twenty days after the Shillong-Dawki lifeline collapsed at Laitlyngkot, the NHIDCL and the state government remain paralysed by “repair-apathy,” leaving thou-sands of residents in the Ri War Mihngi region stranded, economically drained, and on the verge of a public uprising.
The highway, a vital artery for international trade and tourism, collapsed on June 21. Nearly three weeks later, there is no sign of restoration work. Local residents and community lead-ers from Pynursla and the surrounding region have slammed the National Highways & Infra-structure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), the contractors YFC & ACE, and the state government for failing to act despite the route’s strategic importance.
The prolonged closure has effectively cut off the Khasi heartland from the capital. Patients are struggling to reach hospitals, students face disrupted schedules, and daily wage earn-ers are seeing their incomes evaporate due to increased commuting costs.
The economic toll is mounting. With heavy vehicles diverted through Sohra or Dawki, the cost of transporting essential commodities has spiked, leading to inflated prices for dal and other staples in Pynursla markets. The tourism sector—the region’s primary revenue driver—is in freefall. Homestay owners in Mawlynnong and Pynursla, along with taxi opera-tors and guides, report mass cancellations as the road remains impassable.
While Deputy Chief Minister and PWD (Roads) Minister Prestone Tynsong visited the site on June 22 and facilitated a temporary diversion through a private road, residents say the measure is a failure. The narrow bypass cannot accommodate heavy goods vehicles, lead-ing to constant traffic gridlock and a total standstill in the movement of bulk supplies.
“There is no visible progress on the ground. Not a single piece of heavy machinery is active at the collapse site,” a local representative stated. Neither the NHIDCL nor the executing contractor has provided a timeline for repairs, fueling allegations of administrative negli-gence.
Residents argued that with proper engineering oversight, restoration could begin immedi-ately alongside controlled vehicle movement. They warned that public patience is exhaust-ed. Unless the government compels the NHIDCL and the contractor to mobilise at the site immediately, the communities of Ri War Mihngi are prepared to launch democratic protests to demand the restoration of their primary link to the rest of the state.
