SHILLONG, April 22: The Division bench of the High Court of Meghalaya on Friday observed that it is imperative that rudimentary roads be set up connecting the district headquarters to sub-divisional towns all over the state, whether by seeking special funds for such purpose from the North Eastern Council or under any other central scheme in existence.
The High Court noted that the state filed an affidavit pursuant to the order of March 29, 2022, but the petitioner appearing in person rightly submitted that several pages have been wasted without indicating any firm date for the construction of the roads connecting some of the district headquarters to the sub-divisional towns.
“It is appreciated that funds may not be available to the extent required. However, it is equally not acceptable that in the year 2021, years after Independence, the district headquarters would not be linked to sub-divisional towns by metalled roads whether in the state or anywhere else in the country,” the court order said.
Making it clear that the present matter pertains to the construction of such roads and not any repair work, the court said that the conditions in certain areas are so bad that emergency vehicles and even police personnel may not be able to reach the sub-divisional towns within reasonable time in the event of any emergency or a large-scale problem.
The court directed the state to indicate the actual measures taken on the ground to ensure that such roads connecting the district headquarters to sub-divisional towns are put in place, beginning with the areas where such facilities are lacking in the Garo Hills as complained of in the petition.
“The matter will appear four weeks hence for the state to file a further affidavit, this time indicating the actual funds allotted and steps taken for commencement of the work for construction of the relevant roads. All of the construction need not be taken together, if there is any shortage of funds, but the work must begin as expeditiously as possible,” the order stated.
