SHILLONG, April 6: The Sonapur stretch of National Highway 6, which connects Meghalaya with Assam’s Barak Valley, continues to remain prone to landslides and there is no solution in sight.
Some major incidents of landslides occurred on this stretch of the road during the monsoon season in the past two years, disrupting vehicular traffic.
An official of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said machineries are placed on the road to clear debris whenever there is a landslide. The last such incident occurred on Wednesday. The road was cleared within hours.
Pointing out to the difficult geography of the area, the official disclosed that the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited will soon take over the road and construct a four-lane road. The official, however, said four-lane roads should not be constructed in mountainous regions, for there will be destructions if the ecology is disturbed.
The NHAI official said mining activities are also causing landslides. Citing an example, the official said the last landslide near the Star Cement premises was due to illegal mining. A crater was created and water had filled it. It was a dam-like situation and finally, the water made its way to the road, the official said.
It was learnt attempts are on to find a solution to the problem of landslides in the area. A technical plan has been sent to authorities concerned for approval. The NHAI is also in touch with consultants from Japan to deal with the problem.
Apart from landslides, the rampant overloading of trucks is creating a lot of problems as there is a steep gradient and the road is narrow.
