PHULBARI, Aug 8: After a hiatus of a few months, stone boulder exporting trucks from neighbouring Bhutan that are destined for Bangladesh, have come back to haunt residents of the plains belt, already suffering from an unforgiving road.
Movement of boulder export trucks through the Garo Hills region had been halted following several complaints to authorities of trucks not maintaining legal loads while in transit through the routes in the region. The impact on the AMPT road that these trucks go through was felt immediately with the already poor road becoming swimming pools in many parts and almost un-walkable in many parts.
This had led to the administration cracking down and asking exporters to ensure axle loads were maintained or to eschew export altogether.
In a conversation last evening, the GSU – Phulbari unit stated that these trucks have begun movement through the road once again and this has sent distress signals amongst residents of the plain belt – through which the AMPT Road runs.
“The ongoing export of Bhutan-origin boulders to Bangladesh through the AMPT Road has resulted in worsening road conditions, raising serious concerns among residents of the affected areas. This strategic transport route, which connects to the Indo-Bangladesh border, has now become a nightmare for daily commuters and locals, due to its deteriorated and miserable condition,” said secretary of GSU, Pansrang Sangma.
The AMPT road has been in the news recently over its extremely poor condition with there being more potholes than roads in the entire stretch. The situation between the villages of Chibinang through Phulbari, Bhaitbari and Rajabala is chaotic on a daily basis with most residents preferring to not travel unless really essential. With the advent of these trucks once again, the situation is expected to get worse.
“The export activity, permitted under specific conditions laid down by the Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills, allows only 3-axle trucks to ply on the AMPT Road. However, exporters and transporters have allegedly been violating these guidelines by deploying 5-axle and 6-axle trucks, which are carrying excessive loads ranging from 50 to 60 Metric Tons per truck — well beyond the road’s designed capacity,” said president of GSU, Chunag Nyzer.
What is interesting is that there are at least 2 government weighbridges along the route along with various administrative checkpoints. However despite these, no action is initiated.
Local residents from various villages along the AMPT Road stretch have voiced their frustration, citing not only severe damage to the road infrastructure but also increased risks of accidents, dust pollution, and disruption to daily movement. Emergency vehicles, school transports and local farmers were also facing serious difficulties navigating the damaged road.
“Despite repeated appeals, there appears to be a lack of effective monitoring and enforcement from the concerned departments. The unchecked overloading is not only a direct violation of the permission granted by the district administration but also a threat to public safety and regional infrastructure. We urge the District Administration, PWD and law enforcement authorities to take immediate corrective measures,” felt the CSO.
The GSU along with other residents have urged the government to strictly enforce strict axle-load limits as per the original permission, repair and maintain the affected road stretches and set up regular check-gates and weighbridges to prevent overloading. “This cannot go on forever at the cost of our health and convenience. We understand business, especially international, is sacrosanct but respect of the law in our country cannot be undermined by these boulder exporters,” they felt.
