PIL against bad roads

SHILLONG, NOV 30: A social activist from a remote village in East Khasi Hills District has threatened to file PIL against the dilapidated condition of the Mawphlang – Balat (MB) road and Mawsynram-Ryngku (MR) road.

“The time has come that we have to file a PIL against the dilapidated condition of these strategic roads in the district, which has caused immense problem to the people of the different villages,” Banshai Marbaniang, a social activist and resident of Mawsynram, said in a statement on Monday.

Earlier, Marbaniang, who is also the leader of the Federation of Khasi-Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) from the area, had submitted a petition to the Chief Engineer of the Public Work Department (Road), Shillong.

He informed that an inspection to the roads was also conducted where it was found that the roads had been left unattended by the department.

“The roads stretching from Mawphlang, Lyngiong, Tyrsad, Phlangwanbroi, Tlongpleng, and Pyndengsohsaw up to Balat are in a deplorable condition where the black-topping have wear out without any repair being taken up. The same is the case with the Mawsynram-Rynku road too,” Marbaniang said.

According to him, the renovation work for the Mawphlang-Balat Road under the SPA scheme had actually started since last year. However the work progress is very slow, he said adding “Some portion of the road which had been repaired in the past 4-5 months looks to be in a more deplorable state than before.”

He also questioned whether poor quality of work is due to the failure of the contractor or may be the department did not take the construction work seriously.

“On this issue, I suggest that the department allot the works to any qualified Construction Company rather than local contractors, who cannot ensure the work as per the requirement of the rules and regulations made by the department,” he said adding “To me this is just a wastage of public money.”

He said, “We therefore demanded the government to ensure that the works are completed before the end of this year. Special repairs required eliminating breakage in road and it should be given priority and completed before the end of winter.

Stating that Mawsynram is the most visited place by tourists from across the country and abroad, Marbaniang, however, said, “The lack of commitment from the state government to give well and quality road has only brought shame to the people of the area.”-By Our Reporter