By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 18: The United Democratic Party (UDP) on Saturday flagged the mismanagement of traffic at the under-construction Umiam bridge, which has reportedly led to significant public inconvenience, and urged the government for stricter enforcement of traffic regulations.
“In spite of saying there is regulation, it is not happening and people are stranded for more than three hours which is too much. I was also stranded and saw the regular flow of traffic is not there,” said UDP general secretary Jemino Mawthoh.
Mawthoh emphasised that the situation has become serious as people commute for various purposes, such as heading to Guwahati to catch a train or flight, or to visit a hospital, and it is becoming a major problem.
“We understand that the bridge is under construction, but we need to do much more to ease the problem faced by the commuters,” he said, adding that more competent personnel should be stationed to manage the traffic flow.
Mawthoh also highlighted that despite the signage, many drivers are still overtaking, adding to the chaos. “I personally stopped vehicles from overtaking and shouted at them to obey the traffic rules. Nobody is regulating that,” he said.
He pointed out that while it was informed there would be 15-minute stoppages of traffic from each side to allow the other side to pass, in reality, people are stuck in the jam for almost three hours just to cover the 2 km distance to reach the bridge.
The UDP general secretary also noted the rising problem of littering along that stretch, evident from the accumulated garbage on both sides of the road.
“This road is like a lifeline. Being stranded for three to four hours results in a significant loss of working hours and considerable difficulties for the people. Strict regulation must be enforced as inconvenience is caused to the public,” he added.
Earlier, it was informed that the retrofitting of the Umiam dam and spillway bridges is likely to be completed by June-end.
The load restriction till June 30 was set at 4 MT, while vehicles up to 12 MT would be allowed to ply after June 30 to ensure the bridge’s long-term safety and structural stability.
It is pertinent to mention here that the construction of the Umiam dam and bridge started in 1958 and the work was completed in 1965.
The present works are being taken up under the Dam Rehabilitation Improvement Project (DRIP).
