Shillong, June 5: The State government on Monday informed that more or less 75 per cent of the stretch of the road between Thadlaskein and Mihmyntdu on the Jowai bypass has been repaired and the remainder of the work is going on.
In its order passed after hearing a PIL, the division bench of the Meghalaya High Court said that the petitioner Kynjaimon Amse does not dispute the State’s submission in such regard, but referred to the scope of the petition which pertains to the entire stretch of the National Highway till Ratacherra.
The petitioner submitted that despite the previous assertion of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to the effect that the entirety of the stretch except the Jowai bypass of slightly less than 8 km has been repaired, certain photographs need to be seen that reveal the current state of stretches of road at Lumshnong and several other places.
The bench said the photographs appeared to be credible enough and appear to be taken in the afternoon of June 1, 2023.
“It is unacceptable that even before the monsoons have set in, large tracts of the principal thoroughfare through the State into the Barak Valley would be in such pitiable condition as demonstrated by the photographs, despite the recent repair thereof. Since the NHAI seeks some time to ascertain the position, let the matter appear next week,” it said.
The bench also hoped that the entire stretch of the highway in the State till Ratacherra, including the Jowai bypass that the State has referred to, would be in tip-top shape even as the monsoons hit in the next fortnight.
The next hearing will be held on June 13.
